The Egyptian and Qatari foreign ministers on Tuesday affirmed the need to implement further measures to enhance the positive progress the bilateral relations have seen in the wake of a reconciliation agreement Egypt and Gulf countries signed with Qatar in January. Qatar's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani led a delegation on a visit to Cairo, during which he met with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry. During their meeting, the two top diplomats affirmed the importance of working to benefit from the big economic and investment opportunities available in both countries, a statement by the Egyptian foreign ministry read. This step should be taken in a way that serves the interests of the two countries and their brotherly peoples, the statement read. The discussions also addressed the means to boost mechanisms of joint Arab action in the face of the challenges the region is facing. The ministers also discussed the stances of the two countries regarding the regional issues, including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) issue. Egypt, along with Gulf states Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, signed Al-Ula reconciliation agreement with Qatar in January, ending a rift with Doha, which lasted over three years. Following the agreement, Egypt and Qatar formed a joint committee to follow up on the implementation of its clauses. Earlier this month, Shoukry said the full implementation of the Al-Ula agreement will pave the way for further restoration of normal relations between Cairo and Doha. The ministry's Tuesday statement said the relevant legal committee as well as the Egyptian-Qatari committee concluded this morning a new round of meetings. The delegations from both countries continued to discuss the outstanding issues and agreed to hold the meetings for the two committees periodically until all these issues are resolved, the statement said. The Egyptian and Qatari foreign ministers previously met in Cairo in March on the sidelines of the League of Arab States' meeting. On Friday, Shoukry told local media steps to implement the agreement are going well and indicators in this regard are all positive. Egypt has fulfilled all its commitments under the agreement and Qatar has also fulfilled some of these commitments, Shoukry said, noting that Egypt will make sure all commitments on all sides are fulfilled.
