Ashraf AboArafe
The existing regional challenges witnessed by the Middle East region have demonstrated the importance and inevitability of Saudi-Egyptian coordination in all files, as it is a fundamental pillar for establishing security and stability in a region that is rife with challenges and transformations and in which the risks of conflicts are increasing, which necessitates continuing work to enhance the strength and durability of the historical relations that have brought together the leaderships and peoples of the two brotherly countries for decades.
The Saudi National Day, which falls on September 23 of each year, is an occasion to review the most important historical milestones that Saudi-Egyptian relations have gone through over the decades, during which these relations witnessed twists and turns and events in which the people and leaderships of the two brotherly countries recorded in letters of light positions that reflect the depth of the ties and bonds that refused to stand in the face of all hardships and challenges. These ties were translated into the record of positions between them and in the form of dozens of agreements and memoranda of understanding that cover all files of joint cooperation between successive governments in the Kingdom and Egypt throughout the ages.
This year witnessed a fraternal summit meeting between His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and his brother, His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, during President El-Sisi’s performance of the Hajj rituals.
Bilateral meetings were not limited to summits that bring together the leaderships of the two countries, but extended to semi-regular meetings that brought together His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his Egyptian counterpart during this year, the last of which was in Riyadh when Dr. Badr Abdel Aati, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs, was a guest in Riyadh on August 19 to discuss a number of regional files related to bilateral and international relations of common interest, most notably the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, as Riyadh and Cairo adopt identical positions on all political and security issues that concern the two countries and occupy the region at the present time, and the importance of this coordination and consultation increases with the escalation of crises and security challenges that impose themselves on the world and the Middle East region, which imposes more burdens on Riyadh and Cairo in order to work together to enhance stability and work to calm the tensions and crises that are raging in the region. The common positions of the two countries are based on the complete rejection of all regional interference in the affairs of Arab countries, whatever their source, as they constitute a threat to the independence and sovereignty of Arab lands and dismantle their national unity. From this standpoint, the two countries permanently support all political initiatives and peaceful solutions to all crises in the region, in Syria, Yemen, Libya and Sudan, in accordance with Security Council resolutions, regional initiatives and relevant references, in a way that preserves the stability of these countries, the unity of their national territory, places their national interests above all considerations, and establishes a permanent solution that guarantees security and stability for the peoples of these countries, independent of foreign interference. Steady growth in trade and investment cooperation
This year witnessed a great momentum in the trade exchange and economic cooperation file between Riyadh and Cairo, adding more agreements and memoranda of understanding signed between the two countries in recent years, as ministers and officials in both countries exchanged visits, the most recent of which was the important visit made by the Egyptian Prime Minister, Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, to the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on the fifteenth of this month, during which an agreement was announced to activate the agreement to protect Saudi investments in Egypt within the coming weeks, in addition to His Highness the Crown Prince directing the Saudi Public Investment Fund to pump investments worth five billion dollars into Egypt as a first phase. The visit also witnessed consultations between the two sides on a number of economic and investment files of common interest, as the Egyptian Prime Minister held a series of meetings with the Ministers of Investment, Industry, Trade and Finance in the Kingdom, and also met with representatives of the Saudi private sector, and an agreement was reached on a general framework to enhance economic cooperation between the two countries in several sectors and remove all investment obstacles.
On the seventh of this September, the working group concerned with following up on the recommendations issued by the meetings of the seventeenth session of the Saudi-Egyptian Joint Committee concluded their meeting, which was held over two days, with the attendance and participation of government officials from various sectors in the two countries. During the meeting, the agreed upon items and recommendations for a number of cooperation files between the two brotherly countries were reviewed and discussed, as well as the proposed timetables for implementation.
Last June, two memoranda of understanding were signed in the fields of developing non-petroleum exports and developing the automotive industry in June between the Egyptian Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources. In the same month, the Cairo Chamber of Commerce received a delegation from the Saudi Business Youth Council to discuss ways to enhance joint trade and investment cooperation between the two countries. The two parties discussed ways to increase joint economic cooperation during the coming period in a way that serves the Egyptian and Saudi economies.
In early August, Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister, held a meeting at the government headquarters in New Alamein City with Eng. Khalid Al-Falih, Saudi Minister of Investment, and his accompanying delegation to discuss areas of joint cooperation between the two countries, in the presence of the Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to Egypt, Saleh bin Eid Al-Hussaini.
During the important meeting, Dr. Mostafa Madbouly stressed that the governments of Egypt and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is currently working seriously to raise the rates of joint investments. He also stressed the government’s keenness to push bilateral relations between the two countries in all fields to higher levels, stressing that cooperation to increase joint investments is a priority for the two countries.
In turn, the Saudi Minister of Investment appreciated Dr. Mostafa Madbouly’s interest in the files of Saudi investors, and Al-Falih stressed that the governments of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Egypt seek to raise the level of relations between the two countries in all fields.
On March 3, His Excellency the Minister of Commerce, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority for Foreign Trade, Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi, and His Excellency the former Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry, Eng. Ahmed Samir, chaired the 18th session of the Saudi-Egyptian Joint Committee, which was held in Riyadh on March 3-4, 2024, with the participation of delegations from the government sector of the two countries.
The 18th session aimed to work based on the strategic directions between the two countries, solve the challenges facing the work of the joint committee, and approve its work, in addition to holding periodic meetings with internal bodies to follow up on the implementation of recommendations and supervise the work of the committee.
According to data from the Egyptian Ministry of Trade and Industry, the trade exchange rates reached The value of goods between the two countries amounted to about $5.7 billion in 2022, compared to about $4.6 billion in 2021, achieving an increase of 23.9 percent.
While the volume of Saudi investments in Egypt reached more than $6 billion in the sectors of industry, construction, tourism, agriculture, services, finance, communications and information technology, while the value of Egyptian investments in Saudi Arabia reached about $1.4 billion in the sectors of industry, energy, water, health, retail trade, e-commerce, petrochemicals, oil and gas, tourism, communications, information technology, transportation, logistics, mining and engineering services.
The governments of the two countries agree on the need to enhance the economic partnership in terms of investment and trade, and to move it to broader horizons to live up to the strength of the historical and strategic relationship between them by achieving integration between the available opportunities through the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the Arab Republic of Egypt’s Vision 2030.
Riyadh and Cairo also seek to increase the pace of investment cooperation and trade exchange and stimulate partnerships between the private sectors in the two countries, and combine efforts to create a fertile and stimulating investment environment that supports a number of targeted sectors, including tourism, energy, healthcare, transportation, logistics, communications and information technology, real estate development, and agriculture.
The Kingdom seeks to become Egypt’s first trading partner over the next five years, as there are about 6,285 Saudi companies operating in Egypt, in addition to the presence of 274 Egyptian brands, and more than 574 Egyptian companies in the Saudi markets.
The Saudi-Egyptian Coordination Council, established by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, has previously concluded 17 agreements that constitute a roadmap for economic cooperation between the two countries in the fields of housing, petroleum, education, agriculture, and health. These agreements included an agreement to develop Kasr Al-Aini Hospital worth $120 million, and another agreement to finance the construction of a power station west of Cairo worth $100 million, in addition to signing 10 memoranda of understanding to finance new projects within the King Salman Program for the Development of the Sinai Peninsula, including the establishment of King Salman International University, the establishment of 13 agricultural clusters in the Sinai Peninsula worth $106 million, and other development projects. Enhancing cultural, artistic and tourism exchange.
The shared cultural and human heritage of the peoples of the Kingdom and Egypt is one of the most important pillars of rapprochement between the two countries. It goes without saying that cooperation at the heritage, cultural and media levels between Saudi Arabia and Egypt is almost non-stop. The Kingdom is keen on a permanent presence in Egyptian cultural events such as the Cairo International Book Fair and other artistic events, whether in the Opera House, theaters, musical and singing events, art exhibitions and poetry evenings, while the voices of Egyptian artists and singers resound in the skies of the Kingdom during events organized by the General Entertainment Authority. Egyptian artistic groups also participate in festivals hosted by the Kingdom, in addition to contributions to art and heritage exhibitions, camel races and date festivals organized by the Kingdom periodically.
On February 5, His Excellency the Saudi Minister of Media, Mr. Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari, during his official visit to the Arab Republic of Egypt, discussed with a number of officials ways to enhance the existing joint media cooperation between the two brotherly countries, where he was received by the Egyptian Prime Minister, Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, in the New Administrative Capital. During the visit, His Excellency also met with a group of media leaders in Egypt in response to an invitation from the Chairman of the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, Karam Gabr, where the meeting discussed a number of ideas and projects aimed at enhancing the existing media cooperation between the Kingdom and Egypt at various levels.
Recently, Advisor Turki Al-Sheikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, revealed a huge and anticipated cooperation between the Kingdom and Egypt through holding theatrical performances and artistic and singing concerts within the activities of the Riyadh Season scheduled to start next month, while the Kingdom will host the oldest “Cairo Derby” in the Middle East during the days between the Egyptian Zamalek and Egyptian Al-Ahly clubs to compete for the African Super Cup.
It is worth noting that the final statement of His Highness the Crown Prince’s visit to Cairo in June 2022 included an emphasis on the importance of cooperation in the tourism field and developing the tourism movement in the two countries, and exploring the tourism potential of each country.
