HM-Sisi meet highlighted in Egyptian newspapers

CAIRO: Egyptian newspapers on Monday highlighted the meeting between His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said and Egyptian President Abdul Fattah El Sisi and the discussions that took place between the two leaders, as part of the visit by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the Sultanate.

The Egyptian press said that the visit is especially important as it is the first of Sisi since he took office in June 2014, stressing that the Omani-Egyptian relations derive their strength from the historical dimension and the depth of bilateral relations between the two countries on various political, economic and cultural levels.

They added that there is always political consultation on the positions and policies between the two countries on the development of situations in the region, as well as their call to solve problems in dialogue and maintain the cohesion of the Arab attitudes towards the various challenges facing the Arab nation.

They explained that history indicates that Oman - which was a link between the civilisations of the Nile Valley and Mesopotamia on the one hand and the civilization of the Indus valley on the other - has been associated with strong and very old relations (since 3,500 years ago) with the Egyptian civilisation, which led to establishment of extensive trade and economic ties developed after the establishment of Modern Oman to political, strategic and social and cultural ties.

The Egyptian newspaper Al Ahram wrote under the title of “Egyptian-Omani Coordination”, “In a very important visit, the first since he took office, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi began his consultations in Oman to search for practical solutions to many of the region’s issues.” It added that the visit comes in the context of the distinguished relations between Cairo and Muscat, and in the quiet and wise policy of the Sultanate of Oman, which is keen to be a “bridge of communication” and to work to resolve the Arab differences and not to escalate them.

Al Ahram added that Egypt’s foreign policy coincides with the foreign policy orientations of the Sultanate of Oman in working to calm tensions in the region and to seek political solutions to crises due to the futility of the military solutions that contributed to the blowing up the region and the intensification of foreign interventions.

For its part, the Egyptian newspaper Al Akhbar under the title “Egypt and Oman... Solving of Crises” wrote that since the beginning of the modern Omani renaissance led by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said in 1970 and the opening of the Sultanate’s Embassy in Cairo in 1972, the relations between the two countries are a model of brotherhood and friendship.

It added that “President Abdel Fattah El Sisi started his first official visit to Oman, the first visit by an Egyptian president since 2009, to add a new dimension to the strong relations and coordination in all issues of the region and the world. The Sultanate was decorated to greet the President of Egypt. At the gates of Muscat, the warm reception included horses, guard of honor, flowers, the artillery shots, where His Majesty the Sultan took the leader of Egypt in his car to his residence.

Al Jumhuriya wrote about “The Egyptian-Omani Relations”, “they represent an important focal point in the political and Arab arena. The two countries have always sought a policy of resolving differences on the principle of dialogue and negotiation and for giving preference to the language of reason and logic in any other language. Full story @ timesofoman.com/oman