President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi during a meeting with Tunisian Prime Minister Najla Bouden in Dubai on Tuesday (Photo courtesy of Egyptian Presidency)
Egypt has repeatedly voiced support for Saied’s "historic measures” in July 2021, stating they are “aimed at achieving stability and security and fulfilling the will of the Tunisian people.
The Tunisian president announced a number of drastic decisions at the time, including suspending the parliament, dominated by the Islamist party Ennahdha, and relieving his prime minister in a step that sparked demonstrations for and against the decision.
Cairo is willing to share its successful experience in implementing development projects, as well as its economic and administrative reforms with Tunis, El-Sisi said on Tuesday during a meeting with Tunisian Prime Minister Najla Bouden in Dubai, where they are both attending the World Government Summit (WGS) 2023.
The talks focused on means of boosting bilateral relations in all fields, said Presidential Spokesman Ahmed Fahmy.
The two leaders also discussed regional issues of mutual concern, Fahmy added.
In late 2021, El-Sisi met with Bouden in Paris, during which he affirmed Egypt's readiness to “harness all available capabilities to help Tunisia achieve security and development.”
Saied made his first official visit to Cairo in April 2021.
A year of economic cooperation
Egypt and Tunisia have been enhancing their bilateral relations over the past year, especially on the economic and political levels.
In May, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly launched the 17th session of the Egyptian-Tunisian Higher Committee during a visit to Tunis, inking 11 agreements between both nations in several fields, including health, education, agriculture and technology.
Both sides also agreed on making 2022-2023 the year of economic cooperation between Egypt and Tunisia.
According to the Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS), the value of Egyptian exports to Tunisia in 2021 reached $264 million while the value of imports amounted to $76 million in the same year.
In December 2022, El-Sisi stressed Egypt’s keenness to boost trade and investments with Tunisia in a meeting with his Tunisian counterpart on the sidelines of the China-Arab Summit that took place in the Saudi capital.
At the time, the Tunisian president also hailed Egypt’s prominent political weight on the regional and international level, highlighting its positive effect on Arab and African work to reach political settlements for the ongoing crises in the region.
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