Sisi in Qatar: New stage of bilateral relationship

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi headed to the Qatari capital, Doha, on Tuesday, in his first visit to the Gulf state since taking office in 2014, with the improvement of relations between the two countries after years of tension.

This two-day visit is described by a number of analysts as an important step to achieve “security and stability in the region, increase Doha's investments in Cairo, and enhance trade exchange between the two countries.”

New stage of bilateral relationship

Qatari media highlighted Sisi's visit and its importance, which began with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, receiving him upon his arrival at the airport.

The Qatar News Agency (QNA) stated that “the visit establishes an important new stage in the course of bilateral relations between Doha and Cairo and raises it to the level of a fruitful partnership.”

The Qatari-Egyptian relations are witnessing, according to QNA, “active contacts and visits from both sides towards strengthening it for the benefit of the two countries,” and it considered that Sisi's visit “is of particular importance in terms of its timing, as it will come before the start of the Arab summit” in Algeria next November.

For its part, the Qatari newspaper Al-Sharq reported that “the Egyptian president's visit to Doha and the discussions that are taking place during it constitute a new and promising stage and an important station in the course of bilateral relations between Doha and Cairo and their upgrading to the level of a fruitful partnership.”

Last June, the Emir of Qatar visited Egypt with the aim of “promoting reconciliation” after relations had been strained since June 2017, before the disputes ended in January 2021. Since then, senior officials from Doha, Cairo, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, and Manama have exchanged visits, according to the Associated Press.

At the end of last March, Qatar announced that it would invest more than $4.5 billion in Egypt, whose economy suffered problems due to the coronavirus pandemic and then exacerbated by the Russian war on Ukraine, which prompted Cairo to devalue its currency by more than 17% two months ago, according to Reuters.

At the same time, the Qatari giant Qatar Energy signed an agreement with ExxonMobil, according to which it would acquire 40% of its stake in an exploration field in the Mediterranean Sea off the Egyptian coast, according to AFP.

What is behind the visit?

Qatari political and economic expert Abdullah Al-Khater believes that “the visit represents a cornerstone in joint Arab relations because it anticipates the upcoming summit meetings in Algeria next November, as well as the work of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. It also coincides with a number of accelerating international and Arab developments.”

Al-Khater spoke to Jusoor Post about the “strategic, political and economic” dimensions, stressing that “the economic aspect will occupy the largest part of the discussions between the two countries.”

Regarding the economic dimension, Al-Khater said that “the countries of the world need clean energy represented in natural gas. Egypt seeks to be a pioneer in that field in which Qatar has long experience.”

He pointed to “expected Qatari investments in the Egyptian economy, especially in the hospitality, industry, communications and natural gas exploration sectors.”

KarimBakheet, an Egyptian researcher in international relations and political economy at the American University in Cairo, agreed with Al-Khater. He stressed that the visit “will double Qatari investments in Egypt and increase the value of trade exchange between the two countries.”

In an interview with Jusoor Post, Bakheet expected that the next phase would witness “widespread movements to support bilateral cooperation between Egypt and Qatar in light of a common desire to activate cooperation relations to include all fields.”

“The current Qatari investments in Egypt vary between the banking, real estate, and energy sectors. Revitalizing relations between the two countries will double the volume of Doha's investments in Cairo, which are estimated at $18 billion,”Bakheet said.

He pointed out that “the number of Qatari companies operating in Egypt reaches 210 and operates in several sectors, especially the services sector, agriculture, real estate, and banks.”

Bakheet expected an increase in the volume of “economic cooperation and trade exchange” between the two countries and an increase in Doha's investments in Cairo to reach $36 billion after signing “economic agreements and pumping more Qatari investments into Egypt, especially in the energy field.”

Libya is present in the discussions

Fatima Al-Sayed, a researcher in Middle Eastern affairs at the British University in Egypt, believes that the visit aims to “resolve several regional problems, foremost of which is the Libyan file.”

In her interview with Jusoor Post, she confirmed that “the Egyptian and Qatari parties are strongly present in Libya.” She expected that “the Libyan file will be at the forefront of the discussions between Sisi and his counterpart.”

Al-Sayed cited “the successive visit of various groups of Libyan political forces to Doha,” stressing that “Cairo and Doha will seek to calm the situation in Libya after the escalation of tensions between the rival forces there.”

On Sunday, the Emir of Qatar received Libyan House Speaker AguilaSaleh in his office at the EmiriDiwan of Qatar.

The Emir of Qatar affirmed his country's firm position towards the Libyan people, supporting their options and achieving their aspirations for development and prosperity for the sake of Libya's unity and stability, according to QNA.

Prior to that, Sheikh Tamim received, last Thursday, Libyan Government of National Unity Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah to discuss “the developments in the situation in Libya and international efforts to hold general elections.”

During the meeting, they reviewed the bilateral relations between the two countries and aspects of their development and strengthening, as well as the latest developments in Libya, according to a statement by the EmiriDiwan of Qatar.

Al-Sayed stressed that “the Libyan file is strongly present at the Egyptian-Qatari discussions table after the ongoing movement in Libya and in light of the recent developments.”

Since March, two governments have been competing for power in Libya, one based in Tripoli and led by Dbeibah, and the other led by FathiBashagha and supported by Field Marshal KhalifaHaftar, the strongman in the east of the country, according to AFP.

At the end of August, several neighborhoods in Tripoli witnessed violent armed clashes that left 32 dead and 159 wounded. Dbeibah and Bashagha are accusing each other of who is responsible for these clashes, according to AFP.