Ties with Qatar harmonious at all levels: Egyptian PM

Prime Minister of the Arab Republic of Egypt Dr Mostafa Kamal Madbouly said bilateral relations between Qatar and Egypt are witnessing further cooperation and harmony at all levels, culminating in a 2021 exchange of visits between both countries' leaders.
In an interview with the Qatar News Agency (QNA), he congratulated the people and leadership of Qatar on the successful hosting of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 , pointing out that the achievement confirms Arab countries' potentials to organize major international events, and highlights their highly efficient and skilled human resources.
Commenting on the Qatar-Egypt ties, Dr Mostafa Kamal Madbouly revealed his country's aspirations to develop bilateral cooperation and coordination in various fields, especially investment , and working to stimulate trade exchange in the interest of both brotherly peoples, noting that the visit of the ministerial delegation to Qatar coincides with the recent positive development in relations between the two countries.
Dr Madbouly said that his visit included discussions with the Qatari side on a number of issues and topics that contribute to strengthening cooperation between the two countries in all fields. The discussions covered the positive developments in Egypt over the past few years, the national projects adopted by the state in the fields of clean and conventional energy, and the country's boom in transport and communications infrastructure and new smart cities, especially the new administrative capital, in cooperation with private sector companies.
Dr Madbouly said the volume of trade exchange between the two countries does not match the level that they aspire to reach, praising in this context the visit made by president and members of the Qatari Businessmen Association to Cairo in October 2022, and their meeting with President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El Sisi.
The visiting Egyptian ministerial delegation to Qatar included ministers of finance, planning and economic development, health, trade and industry, and heads of the General Authority for Investment and the General Authority for the Suez Canal Economic Zone.
He highlighted the newly signed agreement between the ministries of finance in both countries to avoid double taxation and fiscal evasion in a bid to enhance bilateral investment cooperation, as well as a number of memoranda of understanding (MoU) between Egypt's Ministry of Health and Population and Qatari companies to bolster bilateral cooperation in establishing, operating and developing medical facilities in Egypt.
The Egyptian premier highlighted the visit of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to Egypt in June and his meeting with President El Sisi. During the visit, the two sides discussed strengthening bilateral relations, especially in the agricultural and energy sectors, as well as investment cooperation, and revitalizing trade exchange.
El Sisi attended the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 in November, before another Sept. 13 visit, ahead of the 31st Arab League summit in Algiers.
Relations between the two countries saw a remarkable development following the Al-Ula Declaration sealed in Jan. 2021, he said, alluding to an agreement reached at the conclusion of the 41st GCC Summit to end a four-year diplomatic crisis between Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt on one side and Qatar on the other.
Dr Madbouly said 261 Qatari companies operate in Egypt, with a Qatari capital of $ 2.165bn , including $ 249mn in the tourism sector.
In March 2022, Qatar announced pumping $5bn investments in Egypt, on the sidelines of the visit of HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani to Cairo.
The prime minister said his country is working to create an attractive environment for investment, and to strengthen national industries in several priority sectors for the Egyptian state, in light of its steps to shift towards a green economy and sustainable development.
The government is also working on improving the investment environment in Egypt, by introducing relevant legislative and regulatory procedures, in addition to the facilities and incentives it provides, such as the golden license whose objective is to attract more foreign investments to the country.
Commenting on the 7th Qatar-Egypt Follow-up Committees meetings, which was held in Doha last September, the Egyptian prime minister said the follow-up committee stemming from the Al Ula Summit served as an important tool through which most outstanding bilateral matters and dossiers were settled politically, technically, and in relation to security, reach points of convergence and harmony between the two sides, adding that the outcome of the committee's work was positive and constructive to the degree that clearly paved the way for the development of bilateral relations, with the most telling example of which was the visit of President El Sisi to Doha in September 2022, as well as the visit of the Amir to Egypt in June 2022.
With regard to the regional arena and the possibility of joint coordination between Qatar and Egypt, Dr Madbouly pointed out that the region is facing many thorny issues that affect Arab national security, saying that Egypt is looking forward to more coordination with the Qatari side in international and regional forums and organizations, with the aim to ease regional tensions and to reach political settlements to the Arab region's crises.
He praised Qatar's position in support of Egypt and Sudan regarding the issue of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and Qatar's emphasis on multiple occasions on the importance of reaching a fair, balanced, and binding solution that achieves the common interests of Egypt, Sudan and all Nile Basin countries, urging the parties involved to refrain from taking unilateral measures.