Spain and Egypt raise their relations to the level of strategic partnership

Eduardo González The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, conveyed this Wednesday in Madrid to the President of Egypt, Abdelfatah al Sisi, the "absolute rejection of Spain and its Government" to the idea of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, of "moving the Palestinian population out of the Gaza Strip", an "immoral" proposal that "would have a destabilizing effect at a regional and global level". "I want to reiterate, as I have told you in private, the absolute rejection of Spain and its Government to the proposal to move the Palestinian population out of the Gaza Strip," said Sánchez during the joint statement offered at the La Moncloa Complex after meeting with Al Sisi. “Gaza belongs to the Palestinians and is part of the future Palestinian State” and “its expulsion would not only be immoral and contrary to international law and UN resolutions, but would also have a destabilising effect at a regional and global level,” he warned. “From Spain we will continue to support a political solution that will make the two-state solution a reality and, for this, Arab leadership is fundamental,” he added. Precisely, Al Sisi's visit to Madrid comes after the Egyptian president's decision to cancel a visit to Washington, scheduled for this past Tuesday at Trump's invitation, in retaliation for the American president's proposal to expel the 2.3 million Gazans to Jordan and Egypt to turn the Gaza Strip into a kind of tourist resort under American authority. Strategic partnership On the other hand, Pedro Sánchez announced in the declaration (as The Diplomat had already reported from sources in the Egyptian Presidency) that Spain and Egypt have agreed to raise their bilateral relationship “to that of a strategic partnership, thus giving it the political framework it deserves.” “We are certainly living through very difficult and very uncertain times, but it is in these times of uncertainty and challenge that collaboration and cooperation between partners becomes more necessary than ever,” declared the President of the Government. “With the establishment of this strategic partnership between Spain and Egypt, a new stage full of extraordinary potential opens, let us take advantage of it,” he added. “This strategic partnership will allow us to strengthen relations in very important areas for our citizens: trade, investments, development cooperation, internal affairs, circular migration, defense, culture, agriculture, fishing,” explained Sánchez, who also highlighted the memoranda of understanding signed this Wednesday in Madrid “on economy and trade, on circular migration, on tourism and on transport.” “There are many Spanish companies that are very eager to participate in strategic projects promoted by the Egyptian Government and there is enormous potential to continue strengthening this presence,” explained the head of the Executive, a few hours before Al Sisi attended a business forum that will allow “identifying new priorities and investment projects.” “Egypt is one of the main recipients of official Spanish development funding, especially in the railway sector, through our business internationalization fund and also the Spanish export credit agency,” continued Sánchez. “I hope that we can continue to deepen this cooperation in other strategic sectors, such as renewable energy, water management, security and defense,” he added. For his part, Al Sisi also highlighted the importance of the agreement “that raises the rank of relations to strategic partnership” and of the “other memoranda of understanding to strengthen economic cooperation and trade exchange” and expressed his “appreciation and admiration” for the “Spanish position of recognizing Palestinian rights and advocating for the establishment of the Palestinian State.” He also extended an invitation to Pedro Sánchez, the King and Queen of Spain and himself, to attend “the inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum”, located near the Giza necropolis, which will house the largest archaeological museum in the world dedicated to a single civilization and whose inauguration is scheduled for early this year. “This visit will strengthen the historical ties established between the two countries and peoples,” he added. Meeting with the King and Queen After the meeting with Sánchez, Al Sisi was received by King Felipe VI at the Royal Palace in Madrid. After the meeting, King Felipe and Queen Letizia offered a lunch in honour of President Al Sisi, which was attended by Pedro Sánchez and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, and of Economy, Trade and Business, Carlos Cuerpo. The bilateral meeting was attended by delegations from both countries. On behalf of Spain, José Manuel Albares, Camilo Villarino, Head of the Household of His Majesty the King; and Álvaro Iranzo Gutiérrez, Spanish Ambassador to Egypt, among others, attended. The Egyptian delegation was composed, among others, of Badr Ahmed Mohamed Abdelattty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Affairs of Egyptians Abroad; Hassan Mohamed Hassan ElKhatib, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade; Ahmed Mohamed Aly, Secretary General of the Presidency; and Ehab Badawy, Egyptian ambassador to Spain.

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