UPDATE - UAE president visits Egypt’s capital

​​​​​​​ADDS EGYPTIAN PRESIDENCY’S STATEMENT

By İbrahim Khazen and Rania Abu Shamala

ISTANBUL (AA) - United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan began a visit to Cairo on Saturday.

The Emirates News Agency WAM said the UAE leader arrived “on a fraternal visit to the Arab Republic of Egypt.”

The UAE president and his delegation were received by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi upon their arrival at Cairo International Airport, the agency added.

The two leaders “exchanged greetings and best wishes for the remainder of the holy month of Ramadan and engaged in cordial conversation reflecting the strength of the close ties between their two nations,” according to WAM.​​​​​​​

Egyptian presidential spokesperson, Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy. said in a statement that the visit “comes within the brotherly framework and in light of the strong relations between President El-Sisi and the President of the UAE.”

El-Shennawy added that el-Sisi hosted an iftar, or fast-breaking meal, banquet in honor of bin Zayed, during which both sides reaffirmed “the strong and distinguished ties between the two brotherly countries and explored ways to enhance cooperation in various fields, in order to fulfill the aspirations of both the Egyptian and Emirati peoples.”

He noted that bin Zayed expressed “his gratitude to President El-Sisi for the warm reception, and highlighted the historical relations between the two countries and the UAE's commitment to continue strengthening them.”

El-Sisi visited the UAE on Jan. 16, where he held discussions that were focused on regional issues, particularly the situations in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Syria and Sudan.

Egypt and the UAE enjoy a close and distinguished relationship at the official and public levels. In recent years, those ties have significantly deepened across various fields, including the economy, investment and energy.

The UAE is a major investor in Egypt, with one of the most prominent projects being the Ras al Hekma development, for which Abu Dhabi has allocated $35 billion in funding.