The King and Queen of Spain will make their first state visit to Egypt from September 16 to 19

Eduardo González The King and Queen will make their first state visit to Egypt from September 16 to 19 at the invitation of President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The trip was accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. According to the Ministry's press release, the trip is part of "the excellent relations between the two countries," which were elevated to the level of Strategic Partnership following President Abdel Fattah al Sisi's visit to Spain in February of this year. The trip "represents an opportune opportunity to continue strengthening the deep historical, political, economic, cultural, scientific, cooperative, and human ties that exist between Egypt and Spain." The King and Queen will be officially received by President Al Sisi and his wife at the Al-Ittihadiya Palace, where an official welcome ceremony will be held. In addition, they will make a series of visits to Spanish economic, cultural, and scientific projects in Cairo and Luxor, including archaeological missions. During the trip, the Spanish-Egyptian Business Forum will also be held to boost economic and trade relations between the two countries. The last state visit by the Spanish King and Queen to Egypt was that of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia in February 2008, where they were received by then-President Hosni Mubarak. During Al Sisi's aforementioned visit to Madrid, the Egyptian leader extended to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez an invitation to the Spanish King and Queen 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. "This visit will strengthen the established historical ties between the two countries and peoples," he added. After several postponements, the Museum will finally be inaugurated on November 1st of this year, as Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced in early August. Likewise, Al-Sisi was received by King Felipe VI at the Royal Palace in Madrid, and after the meeting, King Felipe and Queen Letizia hosted a luncheon in honor of the Egyptian president, which was attended by Pedro Sánchez, José Manuel Albares, and the Minister of Economy, Trade, and Business, Carlos Cuerpo. During that same visit last February (Al-Sisi's second visit to Spain since taking office in 2014; his previous visit took place in April 2015 and included a meeting with the King at the Zarzuela Palace), Pedro Sánchez announced that both countries had agreed to elevate their bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership, which "will allow us to strengthen relations in areas that are very important for our citizens: trade, investment, development cooperation, internal affairs, circular migration, defense, culture, agriculture, and fishing." "Many Spanish companies are eager to participate in strategic projects promoted by the Egyptian government, and there is enormous potential to continue strengthening that presence," explained the head of the Executive.

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