Qatar's Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, emphasized that Egypt is a major country in the region and plays a leading role in regional issues, affirming that President Abdel Fattah Sisi represents the elected legitimacy in Egypt. In a television interview, he noted that the relationship between Doha and Cairo has gone through many phases of tension, but there has been a preservation of a minimum level of relations even during the crisis, whether in terms of not affecting Qatari investments or facilitating the stay of Qatari students in Egypt, which was appreciated by Qatar.
He pointed out that "after closing the chapter on disagreements with the Gulf countries and Egypt, Doha looks forward to joint work with Cairo," adding that there has been positive progress in the work of the bilateral committees meeting in both countries, and the recent visit aimed to strengthen the bilateral relationship in the post-conflict phase.
He stated, "We respect the Egyptian institutions," and mentioned that the contentious points can be addressed, affirming that Qatar is currently working with the government, which is the elected legitimate government. "In Qatar, we only deal with governments as long as the person is elected by their people and the political party governs the state, and we respect the institutions of the Egyptian government."
He also remarked that "the meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi was very positive, and we appreciate his reception of us, finding a fraternal spirit from his side. There have been phone calls between the Emir of Qatar and the Egyptian president, either during Ramadan or Eid al-Fitr, which are positive steps."
Last Tuesday, Sisi received the Qatari Foreign Minister, and following the meeting, the spokesman for the Egyptian presidency stated that the Qatari Foreign Minister conveyed a message from the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, inviting Sisi to visit Doha and expressing a desire to enhance discussions between the two countries on ways to develop bilateral relations.
