Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on a visit aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries, consulting on shared regional challenges, and bolstering Arab solidarity. Abdelatty's program included several meetings, including political talks with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and a meeting with Saudi Minister of Commerce Majid Al-Qassabi. He will also meet with members of the Egyptian community in Saudi Arabia. During the meeting with his Saudi counterpart, Abdelatty commended the efforts to swiftly launch the Egyptian-Saudi Supreme Coordination Council under the chairmanship of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He said the council will contribute to setting a framework for developing and monitoring various aspects of bilateral relations, elevating them to the highest levels. He also expressed Egypt's desire to resume political consultations between the two countries at the ministerial level, with the last round taking place in Cairo. He also called for the resumption of regular meetings between senior officials to consult on regional issues of mutual interest. Abdelatty and his Saudi counterpart exchanged views on the efforts of the Arab-Islamic Committee concerning the Gaza crisis, including mobilising international support for the Palestinian cause. They also discussed ways to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, exchange prisoners and detainees, and ensure humanitarian aid reaches the besieged territory. Abdelatty reiterated Egypt's rejection of any form of displacement of the Palestinian people or the elimination of the Palestinian cause. He stressed the need for Israel to withdraw from the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing. Abdelatty also reviewed Egypt's efforts with regional and international actors to prevent the conflict from escalating and to achieve a ceasefire. He emphasised the importance of preserving security, stability, and the interests of the people in the region, and avoiding a cycle of violence and confrontation. Abdelatty met with Saudi Minister of Commerce Majid Al-Qassabi via video conference on August 19. He praised the continuous growth of trade relations, reflected in the increase in non-oil trade between the two countries in recent years. He stressed Egypt's commitment to continued coordination and cooperation to address any obstacles facing bilateral trade and exports, as well as issues affecting investors. Abdelatty highlighted the institutional reforms in Egypt's investment climate aimed at simplifying procedures for investors, demonstrating the Egyptian government's commitment to attracting foreign investment, especially from Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly held a meeting in Cairo on Monday to discuss the terms of the Egypt-Saudi Investment Protection Agreement. The meeting was attended by Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Hassan El-Khatib, Head of the Arab Sector at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Nabil Makki, Head of the Council of Ministers' Advisers, Sherif El-Shazly, and a number of advisors from the council and the Ministry of Justice, as well as officials from relevant authorities. Madbouly stated that the meeting aimed to follow up on ongoing steps to finalize the agreement, highlighting its importance in strengthening and boosting cooperation frameworks between Egypt and Saudi Arabia. He emphasised the importance of increasing joint investments by building on the strong brotherly relations between the two countries at the leadership, government, and people levels. Mohamed El-Homsani, spokesperson for the Cabinet, said that the Prime Minister instructed officials to swiftly finalise the remaining terms under discussion so that the agreement could be signed as soon as possible. He stressed that the Egyptian government is committed to facilitating and streamlining procedures for all Saudi investments in the Egyptian market. He added that the agreement will contribute to attracting more investments in priority sectors and includes measures related to supporting small and medium enterprises, among other areas that will be agreed upon. These measures will ensure the protection of these investments and the achievement of the desired development goals in both Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
