Latest news with #AbdelFattahAlSisi
Asharq Al-Awsat
17 hours ago
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Egypt, Iran to Hold Regular Political Consultations to Develop Relations
Egypt and Iran agreed on Monday to continue discussions to develop their relations. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was in Cairo for talks with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty. During a press conference with Araghchi, Abdelatty announced the launch of political consultations between Egypt and Iran to discuss bilateral ties. An Egyptian presidency statement said Sisi and Araghchi stressed the importance of continuing efforts to 'explore prospects of developing ties between their countries.' Abdelatty confirmed that there was a mutual desire to develop relations. For his part, Araghchi said this was his fourth time meeting Sisi and that he had met the foreign minister of Egypt over ten times, reflecting Iran's keenness on developing ties. 'There is a desire to expand relations, political consultations and cooperation on the political and economic levels and all others,' he added. 'We have a desire to overcome obstacles that have been impeding these ties. The opportunity is available now more than ever,' he stated. 'Trust between Cairo and Tehran has never been this high,' he noted. Egypt and Iran had severed diplomatic relations in 1979 before restoring them to the level of charge d'affaires eleven years later. Egyptian and Iranian officials have met several times over the past two years to tackle the possibility of developing relations. The Iranian presidency in May 2023 ordered that the necessary measures be taken to boost ties with Egypt. Sisi and late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi met in Riyadh in November 2023. Huda Raouf, head of the Iranian Studies Unit at the Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies, told Asharq Al-Awsat that Araghchi's visit to Cairo sought to explore just how much rapprochement can be achieved with Egypt. Iran has been trying to improve relations in recent years, while Egypt has been reluctant, she noted. The FM's visit is a notable development, which may lead to greater rapprochement in the future, especially when it comes to tourism, trade and cooperation in regional files, starting with the war on Gaza and Red Sea security, she remarked. Sisi and Araghchi also discussed the 'rapid developments in the region.' Sisi expressed Cairo's rejection of the 'expansion of the conflict,' urging a de-escalation 'to avert a regional war that will have dangerous repercussions on the security of all regional countries and their people.' He therefore underscored the 'importance of the ongoing negotiations between Iran and the United States' over Tehran's nuclear program, said an Egyptian presidency spokesman. Sisi stressed the need for an 'immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the delivery of humanitarian aid.' Talks between Araghchi and Abdelatty also tackled Gaza, as well as the developments in Syria and Lebanon and Red Sea security. Abdelatty stressed the need to 'protect freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the importance of restoring calm in the region.'
Zawya
2 days ago
- Politics
- Zawya
Egypt launches trial operation of Cairo Ring Road BRT first phase
Egypt's Ministry of Transport announced the start of trial operations for the first phase of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project on Cairo's Ring Road on Sunday, 1 June 2025. This initial phase, now open to passengers, extends 35 kilometres from the intersection of the Ring Road with the Alexandria Agricultural Road to the Police Academy station. The ministry stated this initiative aligns with directives from President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to expand sustainable, environmentally friendly mass transit systems and to operate this first phase to serve users of the Ring Road. The BRT is described as an environmentally friendly mass transit system designed to offer high service levels. All buses deployed are locally manufactured, air-conditioned electric vehicles, a move consistent with presidential directives to localise various industries in Egypt, including bus manufacturing. The frequency of buses is planned at every three minutes, equivalent to 20 buses per hour, and is set to increase to every one and a half minutes during peak times. This project is envisioned as a key artery connecting eastern and western Cairo, with a link to the New Administrative Capital, offering a fast, modern, clean, and safe transport option. It integrates with other transport modes, interchanging with Metro Line 1 at El Zahraa and El Marg stations, Metro Line 3 at Adly Mansour and Imbaba stations, and the Light Rail Transit (LRT) at Adly Mansour station. The first phase includes 14 stations: Adly Mansour (a non-standard station); two surface stations with pedestrian bridge access (Bahtim and Police Academy); and eleven surface stations with pedestrian tunnel access. These tunnel-access stations are Alexandria Agricultural Road, Colonel Ahmed Abdel Rahim, Shubra Banha, Mostorod, El Khasous, El Marg, El Qalag, Zakat Foundation, Field Marshal Ibrahim Orabi, El Salam, and Suez Road. The ministry provided details on the areas served by each station: Alexandria Agricultural Road station: Accessed via a pedestrian tunnel, serving the Alexandria Agricultural Road and commuters from Banha, Toukh, Qalyub, and their surrounding areas, as well as those from Shubra El Kheima using the Ring Road. Colonel Ahmed Abdel Rahim station (Sharqawiya area): A surface station with pedestrian tunnel access, serving the Sharqawiya area and nearby villages such as Mit Halfa and Mit Nama. Shubra Banha station: A surface station with pedestrian tunnel access, serving those heading to the Shubra Banha Freeway and the Al-Assar Axis. Bahtim station: A surface station with pedestrian bridge access, serving the Bahtim area, West Shubra El Kheima, and Eskoo Club Street with its surrounding villages. Mostorod station: A surface station with pedestrian tunnel access, serving the Mostorod area, Ismailia Canal, Ismailia Agricultural Road, Belbeis Road, and commuters heading to Amiriya and Matareya. El Khasous station: A surface station with pedestrian tunnel access, serving the El Khasous area and its affiliated hamlets. El Marg station: A surface station with pedestrian tunnel access, serving the New El Marg area, the Marg-Khanka axis, and interchanging with Metro Line 1 via El Marg station. El Qalag station: A surface station with pedestrian tunnel access, serving the El Qalag area, Mohamed Naguib Road, and their surroundings. Zakat Foundation station: A surface station with pedestrian tunnel access, serving the Zakat Foundation area and commuters from Ain Shams and surr © 2024 Daily News Egypt. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Egypt unveils plan for new desert city in latest megaproject
Egypt on Sunday unveiled plans for a vast new urban development west of Cairo where a man-made channel of the River Nile will eventually wind through what was once arid desert. The new city, named Jirian meaning 'Flow' in Arabic, is part of Egypt's Nile Delta scheme, a massive agricultural initiative aiming to reclaim about 2.5 million acres west of the original Nile Delta. The ambitious agricultural project, which started in 2021, seeks to boost production of strategic crops such as wheat and corn while reducing the North African country's food import bill. The project is the latest in a string of megaprojects launched by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in recent years, including a new administrative capital east of Cairo. While officials say these projects are key to Egypt's long-term growth, they have also contributed to the country's soaring foreign debt, which quadrupled since 2015 to reach $155.2 billion by late 2024. The country has also received billions of dollars from the International Monetary Fund and the European Union to ensure its financial stability, with the EU pledging billions more last month. At a launch event on Sunday, Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli called the Jirian project 'an urban and development revolution'. He added that it would create 250,000 jobs and serve as the cornerstone of a wider development zone equivalent in size to four to five governorates. 'We are talking about full-spectrum development,' he told reporters, describing a sprawling urban zone that will include industry, logistics hubs and homes for 'between 2.5 and 3 million families'. The government did not disclose the total cost of the project which is being developed in partnership with three major Egyptian real estate firms. The new Nile Delta project comes at a time when Egypt is already under pressure to secure its water future. With 97 percent of its fresh water sourced from the Nile, the country has been locked in a years-long dispute with Addis Ababa over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which Cairo fears could reduce downstream water flows. Developers said that a canal connected to the Nile will run through the heart of the 1,680-acre Jirian city, occupying a fifth of its total area and serving both as a scenic centrepiece and an irrigation source for surrounding farmland. The project will feature luxury residences, 80-storey skyscrapers, international universities and hospitals, an eco-friendly hotel, commercial zones as well as a cultural and media district, they added. It will also lie just minutes away from the Grand Egyptian Museum, which is due to fully open in July, the Giza Pyramids and nearby Sphinx international airport. Construction began five months ago and is expected to be completed within five years, according to the project's developers.
Free Malaysia Today
4 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Egypt denies court ruling threatens historic monastery
An Egyptian court ruled that St Catherine's monastery sat on state-owned land. (AFP file pic) CAIRO : Egypt and Greece sought to ease tensions over the historic St Catherine's monastery in the Sinai peninsula on Friday after a controversial court ruling said it sat on state-owned land. Cairo has denied that the ruling threatens the UNESCO world heritage landmark, after Greek and church authorities warned of the sacred site's status. St Catherine's monastery was established in the sixth century at the biblical site of the burning bush in the southern mountains of the Sinai peninsula, and is the world's oldest continually inhabited Christian monastery. A court in Sinai ruled on Wednesday in a land dispute between the monastery and the South Sinai governorate that the monastery 'is entitled to use' the land, which 'the state owns as public property'. But on Friday, in a phone call with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Cairo was 'fully committed to preserving the unique and sacred religious status of Saint Catherine's monastery, and ensuring it is not violated'. The Greek premier's office said Mitsotakis emphasised the importance of 'preserving the pilgrimage and Greek Orthodox character of the monastery and resolving the issue in an institutional manner', based on an agreement between the two countries. A Greek delegation is due to visit Egypt next week, the government in Athens said. Sisi's office has defended the court ruling, saying that it 'consolidates' the site's sacred status, after the head of the Greek Orthodox church in Greece denounced it. Tourism development Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens called the court ruling 'scandalous' and an infringement by Egyptian judicial authorities of religious freedoms. He said the decision means 'the oldest Orthodox Christian monument in the world, the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine in Mount Sinai, now enters a period of severe trial – one that evokes much darker times in history'. The Saint Catherine area, which includes the eponymous town and a nature reserve, is undergoing mass development under a controversial government megaproject aimed at bringing in mass tourism. Observers say the project has harmed the reserve's ecosystem and threatened both the monastery and the local community. Archbishop Ieronymos warned that the monastery's property would now be 'seized and confiscated', despite 'recent pledges to the contrary by the Egyptian President to the Greek Prime Minister'. Greek foreign minister Giorgos Gerapetritis contacted his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty on Thursday, saying 'there was no room for deviation from the agreements between the two parties', the ministry's spokesperson said. In a statement to Egypt's state news agency, the foreign ministry in Cairo later said rumours of confiscation were 'unfounded', and that the ruling 'does not infringe at all' on the monastery's sites or its religious and spiritual significance. Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said 'Greece will express its official position … when the official and complete content of the court decision is known and evaluated'. He confirmed both countries' commitment to 'maintaining the Greek Orthodox religious character of the monastery'.
Asharq Al-Awsat
5 days ago
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Saudi King, Crown Prince Receive Two Written Messages from Egypt President
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, received two written messages on bilateral relations from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Walid ElKhereiji received the messages on Thursday during his reception of the Egyptian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ihab Abu Sarea. During the reception at the ministry in Riyadh, the two ministers reviewed the deep-rooted fraternal relations and cooperation between the two brotherly countries and discussed issues of mutual interest.
