Egyptian, Saudi FMs co-chair joint political consultation, follow-committee

Egypt Today

21-04-2025

The Saudi delegation was headed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan. Discussions between the two sides focused on strengthening bilateral economic and investment relations, as well as exchanging perspectives on key regional developments, most notably, the ongoing situation in Gaza with both parties reaffirming their unequivocal rejection of any attempts to forcibly displace the Palestinian people from their land. According to foreign ministry spokesman Tamim Khallaf, Abdelatty held a one-on-one meeting with his Saudi counterpart prior to the committee session. During the meeting, both ministers commended the deep-rooted fraternal and historical relations between the two nations and acknowledged the significant progress witnessed in their bilateral cooperation. The meeting reflected a shared commitment to further advancing joint collaboration, in line with the directives of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to deepen and expand bilateral cooperation across various fields and ensure close coordination on regional and international issues of mutual interest, serving the shared aspirations of both peoples. During the committee's talks, Abdelatty underscored the importance of maximizing the benefits of the existing institutional frameworks governing economic cooperation between Egypt and Saudi Arabia. He highlighted the success of the recent visit organized by the Egyptian-Saudi Business Council and the Federation of Saudi Chambers to Cairo from 12 to 14 April, which aimed to explore investment opportunities. He emphasized the necessity of building upon the outcomes of that visit to bolster economic cooperation and expand Saudi investments in Egypt. Furthermore, he stressed the importance of launching a joint Egyptian-Saudi Investment Forum as a landmark initiative to elevate economic relations between the two countries. The top diplomat reiterated Egypt's commitment to creating an attractive environment for Saudi investors and entrepreneurs by outlining the incentives and facilitative measures offered by the Egyptian government, which include wide-ranging financial and tax reforms designed to encourage foreign direct investment. He emphasized the need to translate the robust institutional and fraternal relations between Egypt and Saudi Arabia into comprehensive and sustainable cooperation that meets the aspirations of both peoples. In this regard, he called for significantly increasing bilateral trade and further enhancing economic and commercial integration. Abdelatty also addressed the strategic priority placed by the Egyptian state on localizing industry and technology, stressing the importance of industrial integration between Egypt and Saudi Arabia. He reviewed the facilities and support available to industrial investors and called for aligning both nations' development strategies—specifically Egypt's Vision 2030 and Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030—to achieve economic integration. On regional matters, the two ministers exchanged views on key developments, with particular emphasis on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the war-ravaged Gaza. They discussed joint efforts aimed at securing a ceasefire and de-escalation, reaffirming their absolute rejection of any forced displacement of Palestinians. Discussions also covered the Arab-Islamic reconstruction initiative for Gaza, as well as preparations for the upcoming international conference, to be hosted by Egypt in cooperation with the United Nations and the Palestinian government, focusing on early recovery and reconstruction efforts.
The session further included an exchange of views on recent developments in Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, and the ongoing crisis in Yemen, in addition to security in the Red Sea. Both sides demonstrated convergence in their positions on these issues and reiterated their mutual commitment to working together in pursuit of regional security and stability.