During his visits, which start today, El-Sisi will meet with Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tarik and Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, the statement read.

The president will discuss with the two leaders regional and international issues of mutual concern to protect Arab national security and face attempts to destabilise and interfere in the domestic affairs of the Arab countries, the statement added.

The president's visit to Oman will be his second to the Gulf country. In the first visit, in 2018, El-Sisi met with late sultan Qaboos bin Said. It was the first by an Egyptian president since 2009.

Earlier this month, El-Sisi received Bahraini King Hamad in Sharm El-Sheikh, where the two leaders reviewed prospects of cooperation in the economic and investment fields and discussed regional and international issues.

During King Hamad's visit, El-Sisi hosted a trilateral summit with both the Bahraini king and Jordanian King Abdullah II, during which he affirmed Egypt’s keenness to expand cooperation with the two countries and boost joint Arab action to face regional and international challenges.

Cooperation with Oman and Bahrain

Egypt shares warm relations with Bahrain and Oman at all levels, including economic and commercial ties, and a mutual understanding on regional issues.

Trade exchange between Egypt and Oman amounted to $500 million in 2020, according to previous statements by Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry Nevine Gamea.

Moreover, Omani investments in the Egyptian market reached $77.5 million through 92 companies in the fields of industry, tourism, construction, and agriculture, Gamea said.

Meanwhile, Egyptian investments in Oman recorded $680 million, with 142 companies specialised in the fields of infrastructure, road projects, and real estate investment.

In January, Egypt’s foreign minister Sameh Shoukry and his Omani counterpart Sayyid BadrAlbusaidi signed six Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) to boost cooperation and conclude the 15th session of the Egyptian-Omani Joint Committee in Muscat.

The volume of trade exchange between Egypt and Bahrain recorded $500 million in 2020, according to the Egyptian Embassy in Bahrain.

Bahrain’s investments in Egypt stand at $3.2 billion through 216 projects, according to the Bahraini ambassador to Cairo in June 2021.

Egypt-Gulf ties

El-Sisi's visits to the two Gulf countries come less than three weeks before the Gulf Cooperation Council GCC+3 Summit that will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on 15 July and will bring together leaders of the GCC in addition to Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and the US.

In the lead-up to the summit, El-Sisi received UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan on Sunday.

The meeting discussed enhancing bilateral relations and means to boost Emirati investments in Egypt in various fields, especially energy, transportation, ports, and tourism.

The president also met on Friday with Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, who visited Egypt for the first time since Cairo and Doha resumed diplomatic relations last year after signing the Al-Ula Declaration that ended an over three-year-long diplomatic rift.

During the meeting, Emir Tamim affirmed to El-Sisi his keenness to continue boosting Egyptian-Qatari cooperation in various fields by maximising investments in Egypt.

Last Monday, the Egyptian president received Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Cairo.

During the visit, Egypt and Saudi Arabia signed 14 investment agreements to the tune of $7.7 billion in several fields, including petroleum, renewable energy, green hydrogen, IT, e-commerce, pharmaceuticals, infrastructure, and cyber security.

Saudi Arabia plans to make investments worth $30 billion in Egypt, according to a joint Saudi-Egyptian communique issued in light of the crown prince’s visit.