With the sound of a 21-gun salute, the highest military honor, marked by cannon fire at five-second intervals, echoing across the gardens of Al-Ittihadiya Palace, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi of Egypt welcomed King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain on 17 September for the monarch’s first official visit to Cairo, a trip framed as both a celebration of shared history and an opening to deeper political and economic ties.
The royal visit, which began on 16 September, included the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain, José Manuel Albares. It was complete with a horse parade, anthems, and ceremonial pageantry, and came just months after Cairo and Madrid elevated their partnership to a “strategic” level, a move announced by Al-Sisi during his own visit to Spain in February.
For both leaders, the encounter was less about ceremony than about signaling that Egypt and Spain are positioning themselves as closer allies at a time of turmoil in the Middle East and uncertainty in Europe.
Behind closed doors, Al-Sisi and King Felipe discussed trade, investment, tourism, and cultural exchanges, while also pledging to expand cooperation in education and antiquities.
Egyptian officials emphasized that Spain prioritizes Egypt as a partner, with a forthcoming cooperation framework set to advance joint economic initiatives in transport, commerce, and development.
However, the war in Gaza and the broader Palestinian issue dominated the meeting, with President Al-Sisi praising Spain’s recognition of Palestinian statehood and its support for the United Nations two-state solution declaration.
King Felipe, in turn, commended Cairo’s mediation efforts, calling it “essential for the population to recover their lives and dignity as part of a viable Palestinian state, living in peace and security with Israel.”
Both leaders warned against any attempts to displace Palestinians, describing such moves as destabilizing for the region and Europe, and a violation of international law.
The Al-Ittihadiya Palace visit concluded with an exchange of state honors between the presidential couple and the Spanish royals, followed by a luncheon at the palace. In their speeches, El-Sisi and King Felipe both emphasized that the relationship between Egypt and Spain, rooted in history and geography, is entering a new phase, one defined by shared strategic interests and, increasingly, common views on global crises.
On Thursday evening on 18 September, the two nations deepened their cultural bonds with a visit to Luxor. Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia were greeted in Luxor by the governor and the minister of tourism and antiquities in what local officials described as a historic occasion, as it is the first visit by a Spanish monarch since Felipe assumed the throne in 2014.
The royal couple toured the Temple of Hatshepsut, pausing for photographs and marveling at its sweeping architecture and vivid depictions of pharaonic rule, before continuing a program that included stops at Karnak and Luxor Temples as well as a meeting with Spanish archaeologists working on the city’s West Bank.
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