Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry will leave Cairo on Sunday, heading for Doha, to convey a letter from President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. The letter focuses on the positive developments in Egyptian-Qatari relations following the signing of the 'Al-Ula reconciliation agreement' on January 5, Spokesman for the Foreign Ministry Ahmed Hafez said in a statement. It also expresses Egypt's aspiration to take further measures to advance the priority areas of bilateral cooperation to achieve the interests of the two brotherly countries and peoples, he added. The top Egyptian diplomat will then take part in the consultative meeting of Arab foreign ministers, which will be held at the invitation of Qatar — the president of the current session of the Council of the Arab League — to continue coordination and consultation on the current Arab situation, and ways to strengthen joint action mechanisms regarding the growing challenges facing Arab countries. Shoukry will also participate in the extraordinary meeting of the Arab League Council at the ministerial level to discuss developments regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam issue, which will be held at the request of Egypt and Sudan following the consultative meeting of Arab foreign ministers. He will also attend the first meeting of the Palestine Committee. The foreign minister is also scheduled to hold talks with Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. This is considered the first visit for an Egyptian minister to the Qatari capital after the Al-Ula agreement between Qatar and Egypt, along with Gulf states Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, that ended a rift with Doha which lasted over three years. In May, 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 and President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.
