Cairo, 29 August 2025 (QNA)

The Qatar-Egypt Sixth Annual Joint Higher Committee meeting was held on Thursday in Cairo. The delegation from Qatar was led by Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, while the Egyptian delegation was headed by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration, and Egyptian Expatriates Dr. Badr Abdelatty.

During the meeting, both sides discussed ways to strengthen and enhance cooperation between the two nations, focusing on sectors such as economy, investment, diplomacy, social affairs, agriculture, and food security. They reaffirmed their commitment to advancing bilateral relations across various fields, with an emphasis on bolstering joint Arab efforts.

The discussions also addressed key regional issues, particularly the situation in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories. Both sides expressed their continued coordination within the framework of joint mediation efforts to end the war in Gaza, protect civilians, secure the release of prisoners and hostages, and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to alleviate the dire conditions in the Strip.

Additionally, the two sides examined a recent ceasefire proposal for Gaza presented by mediators, noting that the Israeli side had yet to provide an official response. The proposal was seen as an opportunity to end the aggression, release prisoners and hostages, and allow for urgent humanitarian assistance to reach Gaza. This proposal was aligned with efforts made by the U.S. President's envoy to the Middle East.

The two sides condemned the ongoing Israeli military aggression, the expansion of settlement activities in the occupied West Bank, and the continued policy of starvation in Gaza. They stressed that such actions, which violate international law, would only further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis, destabilize the region, and obstruct the possibility of achieving a just and lasting peace.

Other regional issues, including the situations in Sudan, Yemen, Syria, Libya, Lebanon, the Horn of Africa, and the Red Sea, were also discussed. The developments concerning the Iranian nuclear issue were reviewed as well. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani reiterated Qatar's support for regional and international efforts aimed at fostering peace and stability across Arab nations and securing long-term security in the region.

The meeting concluded with the signing of several memoranda of understanding (MoUs). One MoU focused on cooperation in social insurance and pensions between Qatar's General Retirement and Social Insurance Authority and Egypt's National Organization for Social Insurance. Another MoU was signed to enhance collaboration in agriculture and food security between the two governments. Additionally, an MoU was established to create a political consultation mechanism between the foreign ministries of Qatar and Egypt, along with the minutes of the sixth session of the Joint Higher Committee.

Egyptian Ahram Online reported that the meeting between the two top diplomats comes more than a week after Hamas accepted a proposal put forward by Egyptian and Qatari mediators for a 60-day truce/prisoner exchange deal between Israel and the Palestinian group. Israel has yet to deliver an official response to the latest Egyptian-Qatari truce proposal, which it had previously agreed to.

It also comes as the Israeli occupation army intensifies a military campaign to invade Gaza City and ethnically cleanse more than one million Palestinians to the south of the strip.