Egyptian-Qatari relations are witnessing new momentum with the convening of the “Joint Supreme Committee” between the two countries, which culminates in the years of remarkable rapprochement since ending the rift between the two countries in 2021, with the arrival of huge Qatari investment projects in Egypt in late 2025, and new talk about prospective partnerships.
The Supreme Committee plays an important role in strengthening these relations, deepening the partnership, and translating investment opportunities, which confirms, according to experts in Egypt and Qatar, who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat, that the path of cooperation “achieves continuous successes.”
Official diplomatic relations between Egypt and Qatar were restored on January 20, 2021, following the signing of the “Ula Agreement,” which ended a boycott that had continued since June 2017, before witnessing the appointment of two new ambassadors in the summer of 2021, and the exchange of high-level meetings starting in December 2022 between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and the country’s senior officials, etc. This was followed by visits at various diplomatic levels between officials of the two countries.
Since the return of relations, bilateral meetings of the Egyptian-Qatari committee were held within the framework of relations arrangements, before the work of the fifth session moved to the level of the Supreme Committee in March 2024, in Doha, headed by the foreign ministers of the two countries. This will continue in the sixth session in El Alamein, Egypt, on August 28, 2025, and the current seventh session, which Egypt also hosted.
Egyptian tribute
In a meeting with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman bin Jassim Al Thani in the city of El Alamein on Thursday, Al-Sisi praised “the progress and growth witnessed by bilateral relations between the two countries, and his aspiration to continue strengthening these relations in various political, commercial and investment sectors,” stressing the importance of building on the outcomes of the joint Egyptian-Qatari higher committee in order to advance bilateral cooperation in various fields, according to a statement by the Egyptian presidency.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry reported, in a statement, that the seventh session of the Higher Joint Committee was held in the city of El Alamein on Thursday, headed by Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Ati and the Prime Minister of Qatar, in the presence of a number of ministers and officials of the two countries.
In his speech, Abdel Ati praised “the qualitative shift witnessed in Egyptian-Qatari relations under the directives of the leadership of the two countries,” stressing that the regularity of the joint supreme committee’s convening “reflects the mutual keenness to strengthen cooperation frameworks in various fields, and to translate the existing political momentum into practical steps that achieve the interests of the two peoples.”
He pointed out that the volume of trade exchange between Egypt and Qatar will increase by 80 percent during the year 2025, pointing out that “unlike the Alam Al-Rum real estate project to develop the northern coast, which exceeded $29 billion, a project to manufacture sustainable jet fuel is being launched in the Suez Canal Economic Zone with direct Qatari investments exceeding $200 million in its first phase.”
Abdel Ati stressed the importance of building on the momentum achieved by the “Egyptian-Qatari Investment Forum,” which was held in Cairo in December 2025, and looking forward to hosting its third edition in Cairo with the participation of business councils and companies from the two countries.
For his part, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman bin Jassim Al Thani praised the “growing development witnessed in Qatari-Egyptian relations in various fields,” praising the holding of the seventh session of the Joint Higher Committee and the important mechanism it represents for following up areas of cooperation and pushing the implementation of joint projects and agreements.
According to the former Assistant Foreign Minister, Ambassador, Rakha Ahmed Hassan, in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, the regular holding of the committee “reflects the transition of Egyptian-Qatari relations to a more established and stable stage, so that the relationship is no longer confined to bilateral files,” and confirms the existence of “a political will on the part of the two countries to translate rapprochement into sustainable institutional mechanisms that enhance the development of relations and the partnership of the two countries.”
Qatari analyst Abdullah Al-Khater agreed with him, in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, that relations between the two countries “are witnessing remarkable growth and that the Qatari-Egyptian committee is one of the basic and important committees capable of pushing relations to broader horizons.”
Bilateral agreements
At the conclusion of the work of the Egyptian-Qatari committee, a memorandum of understanding for cooperation was signed between the “Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development” and the “Qatar Fund for Development,” and a grant agreement regarding the establishment of “Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Hospital” in Sohag Governorate (southern Egypt), in addition to a memorandum of understanding between the Central Auditing Organization and the Qatari Audit Bureau for cooperation in the areas of supervisory work, and an agreement for mutual administrative assistance in the customs field, according to the Egyptian statement.
During a press conference with the Prime Minister of Qatar, the Egyptian Foreign Minister said, “His country seeks to deepen cooperation between the two countries in many fields, whether energy or foodstuffs,” expressing Egypt’s pride in the “Alam Al-Rum” real estate deal, stressing that there are other initiatives, partnerships, and projects.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman bin Jassim Al Thani stressed that “relations with Egypt are fraternal and well-established, based on a strong partnership and continuous coordination on a number of files,” noting that the “Alam Al-Rum” project will be an addition to economic and investment relations with Egypt.
What is striking about this partnership, according to Rakha, is that it is no longer confined to one file, as there is economic, investment and commercial cooperation, in addition to political and diplomatic coordination, and “which reflects a desire to make the current development an institutional path and not just a circumstantial rapprochement linked to a specific regional crisis, such as the files of the Gaza Strip and Iran, in which Cairo and Doha are leading mediation efforts.”
He concludes, “Relations are currently in the stage of building a partnership based on common interests and the need for continuous coordination at all levels,” stressing that “the development of Egyptian-Qatari relations does not only represent a bilateral gain for Cairo and Doha, but it can turn into a lever for Arab coordination in the region’s files.”
