Egyptian president, Qatari emir vow to boost cooperation after thaw in ties

Cairo [Egypt], June 25 (ANI/Xinhua): Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said on Saturday the visit of Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to Egypt represented the progress of the Egyptian-Qatari relations after the two countries restored diplomatic ties last year.
Earlier in the day, the two leaders, as well as the delegations of the two countries, discussed a number of bilateral, regional and global issues in the Egyptian capital Cairo, the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement.
The Qatari emir arrived in Cairo on Friday for his first visit to Egypt since the two countries ended their diplomatic rift in January last year.
During the meeting, Sisi said Tamim's visit consolidated the path of developing bilateral relations in all fields.
For his part, Tamim praised Egypt's pivotal role in serving Arab causes and its efforts to strengthen Arab solidarity at all levels, as well as its domestic, regional, and global policies.
The emir also expressed his country's willingness to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the future by increasing Qatari investments in Egypt.
According to the statement, the two leaders agreed to expand bilateral cooperation in a number of fields, especially in the energy and agricultural sectors, as well as in investment and trade.
Sisi and Tamim also stressed the need for Arab countries to unite, while vowing to strengthen bilateral coordination to deal with regional crises.
Regarding the Palestinian issue, the Qatari emir praised Egypt's efforts to rebuild the Gaza Strip, underlining the importance of reviving the peace process in order to reach a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian cause that guarantees the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
The two leaders also discussed prospects for cooperation to combat terrorism and extremist ideologies, emphasizing the importance of stepping up efforts by the international community to confront terrorism, the statement said.
In January 2021, the Arab quartet of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed the Al-Ula Declaration with Qatar, ending their all-around boycott of Doha since mid-2017. (ANI/Xinhua)