After attending the G7 Summit in France followed by the seventh Tokyo International Conference on Africa’s Development (TICAD), President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi arrived in Kuwait on 31 August for a two-day visit. 

In his meeting with the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed, Al-Sisi discussed ways of bolstering bilateral ties and the latest regional and international developments.

The two leaders discussed how to combat terrorism and agreed to intensify security cooperation between the two countries. President Al-Sisi also praised Kuwaiti efforts to reach a political settlement to the Yemeni crisis.

Investment opportunities in Egypt, and the incentives offered by Egypt’s new investment law, were highlighted in the context of Egypt’s implementation of economic reforms and development plans.

According to Presidential Spokesman Bassam Radi, the visit also tackled cultural and educational ties between Cairo and Kuwait and tourism. 

Kuwait ranks third in league tables of Arab tourists visiting Egypt.

“Egypt receives more than 170,000 Kuwaiti tourists annually and there are 64 weekly flights between the two countries,” said Radi.

During the two-day visit President Al-Sisi also met with Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and Interior Minister Sheikh Khaled Al-Sabah. The meetings addressed mechanisms to enhance security cooperation between the two states.

A separate meeting with Marzouk Al-Ghanim, speaker of the Kuwaiti parliament, cast a spotlight on the importance of parliamentary relations and the work of the joint Egyptian-Kuwaiti Parliamentary Committee in facilitating cooperation.

Al-Sisi’s third visit to Kuwait since taking office in 2014 followed on trips made in January 2015 and May 2017. With 1,302 companies operating in Egypt, Kuwait ranks fourth among investors in Egypt. Trade between the two is estimated at $3.3 billion, and Kuwaiti investments have reached $4.7 billion. 

Major areas of cooperation include construction, agriculture and finance. Egypt and Kuwait have also conducted a number of joint military exercises.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 5 September, 2019 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly