- Qatar, Egypt, Turkiye efforts helped bring factions on board over Gaza roadmap: PM
- Qatar continues mediation with Pakistan in US-Iran war amid current stalemate
Qatar and Egypt signed four agreements yesterday covering customs co-operation and regulatory work, development co-operation, health co-operation and the establishment of the Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani Hospital in Sohag, HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani announced in Cairo.
The prime minister said he hoped the hospital would represent a qualitative leap for the health sector in the governorate. The Sohag facility is funded by a Qatari grant, the Egyptian side confirmed.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty following the seventh session of the Qatar-Egypt Joint Higher Committee, the prime minister said the region had reached a pivotal stage in the Gaza file after the Palestinian factions announced their acceptance of the peace plan and their readiness to proceed with arrangements on the collection of weapons. The choice, he said, now rests with the Israeli side.
He pointed to the intensive efforts and joint work undertaken by Qatar with Egypt and Turkiye to reach this stage, and voiced hope for a positive Israeli response on commitments that have gone unimplemented since the first phase.
Instead of engaging positively with these developments, he said, Israel has continued to commit violations to this day, targeting civilians and escalating settlement activity, alongside continued attacks without deterrence in Lebanon and Syria.
Israeli actions represent a major factor in destabilising the region, the prime minister said, noting that the region continues to extend its hand for peace and stability while those outstretched hands are rejected.
On bilateral ties, he described Qatari-Egyptian relations as fraternal and deep-rooted, saying the two countries continuously strive to elevate them to new levels of co-operation in line with the aspirations of the two leaderships and the two peoples.
The committee session, he said, discussed ways to strengthen co-operation across various fields as well as joint co-ordination on the current crises in the region.
He said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi affirmed his support for joint efforts to find alternatives and solutions for supply chains, whether in relation to shipping lines or in other fields.
The prime minister also referred to his meeting with Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, in which they reviewed the key joint projects between the two countries.
He voiced satisfaction at the launch of the first phase of the Alam Al-Roum project, expressing hope that it would add to the projects implemented by Qatari Diar and to Qatari investments in Egypt, and said he looked forward to discussing future opportunities in various fields, particularly industry and specifically the pharmaceutical sector.
Talks with the Egyptian foreign minister also covered the crisis in Sudan and support for political solutions in Libya, with both sides stressing support for the unity and territorial integrity of Sudan, Libya and all Arab lands.
The prime minister said the region is passing through difficult circumstances, particularly since the beginning of the American-Iranian war, which has produced highly damaging repercussions across the entire region and not only the Gulf. He said he had discussed with Abdelatty the efforts Qatar continues to exert within the framework of its mediation in partnership with Pakistan, in light of the current stalemate that has obstructed progress on many fronts.
He stressed the necessity of ensuring the freedom, security and safety of navigation in both the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, calling for a return to the situation that prevailed before the war. International navigation must not be held hostage or used as a tool for political blackmail by any party, he said, condemning all those obstructing the movement of shipping.
Qatar will continue its efforts with its Gulf partners, Egypt and the wider region to support diplomatic solutions, the prime minister said, expressing hope that solutions would be reached soon between the two parties, with a return to the memorandum of understanding and to diplomacy rather than the language of escalation and blackmail.
He concluded by emphasising the importance of continued co-ordination and consultation between Doha and Cairo, noting that the eighth session of the Joint Higher Committee will be held in Doha.
For his part, Abdelatty said the committee was convening at a time when political relations and economic co-operation between the two countries are witnessing a qualitative leap, under the direct guidance of President al-Sisi and HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.
He said the session provided an opportunity for extensive discussions aimed at translating the distinguished bilateral relationship into tangible steps, particularly by doubling the volume of trade between the two countries.
An agreement was reached to expand partnerships between the two business communities and to look towards holding the third edition of the Egyptian-Qatari Investment Forum, alongside discussions on forming a joint businessmen’s council to enhance mutual investment and trade.
Abdelatty said both sides agreed on the need to build on the momentum in investment relations, particularly after completion of the Alam al-Roum deal on the North Coast, welcoming the launch of the project’s first phase and the launch of other projects in the Suez Canal Economic Zone.
He said the talks also addressed significant developments in traditional and renewable energy co-operation, particularly following the signing of a memorandum of understanding on energy in January, and co-operation on strengthening logistical corridors for the transport and storage of energy to deal with any future navigation-related challenges.
There is a convergence of views between the two countries on freedom of navigation and full compliance with international law, he said, particularly the International Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The Egyptian foreign minister reiterated that the security of Qatar and the fraternal Gulf states is an integral part of Egyptian national security and of collective Arab national security, noting that President al-Sisi affirmed this during his meeting with the prime minister earlier in the day.
He stressed Egypt’s full solidarity with Qatar and the Gulf states in the face of any attacks, and Egypt’s clear condemnation of the Iranian attacks on Qatar and the Gulf states as a blatant violation of the sovereignty of those states and a breach of international law, for which there is no justification.
Abdelatty pointed to continued close co-ordination between Cairo and Doha to push for a final and sustainable agreement on Iran that ends the war and military escalation, addresses the security concerns of the Gulf states and contributes to regional stability.
On the Palestinian issue, he affirmed full co-ordination between the three mediators — Qatar, Turkiye and Egypt — saying their efforts had persuaded the Palestinian factions to respond to demands on limiting and collecting weapons, an outcome achieved through the multiple meetings Cairo hosted with Qatar and Turkiye.
Focus must now shift to implementing the roadmap, he said, adding that Israel has the choice to fulfil its obligations under US President Donald Trump’s peace plan. These include the first-phase requirements on the entry of humanitarian aid, early recovery and the rehabilitation of infrastructure and hospitals in Gaza, and the second-phase requirements on restricting weapons, implementing the Israeli withdrawal and halting the targeting of the Strip.
Implementation also involves enabling the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza to carry out its temporary tasks, and deploying Palestinian police and the international stabilisation force to monitor the ceasefire — leading, he said, to enabling the Palestinian people to exercise their legitimate right to self-determination and establish their independent state on the June 4, 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with international resolutions. (QNA)