The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, met on Monday 18 May with his Egyptian counterpart, Minister Badr Abdelatty, with whom he discussed the main issues on the bilateral and regional agenda, as well as the forthcoming signing of agreements on triangular cooperation, political consultations and the establishment of a programme of visits for young diplomats.
This visit comes at a time when relations between the two countries are particularly close. A good illustration of this is the State visit by Their Majesties the King and Queen in September 2025, during which the Alliance for Sustainable Development 2025-2030 was established; President Al Sisi’s visit to Spain in February of the same year, during which bilateral relations were elevated to a Strategic Partnership; and the Spanish Prime Minister’s attendance at the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit, reflecting Spain’s commitment to peace in Palestine. Also noteworthy are the frequent contacts between the two Foreign Ministers, within the framework of the Union for the Mediterranean Regional Forum, or their participation in the meetings of the Madrid Group and Madrid+ in September 2024 and May 2025 respectively.
This visit has enabled the Ministers to discuss the work programme and the agreements and initiatives that will drive the Strategic Partnership between Spain and Egypt in 2026, strengthening the excellent bilateral relations in various fields such as the economic and business sectors, development cooperation, judicial cooperation, education and circular migration.
Albares highlighted Egypt’s constructive stance and commitment to supporting a negotiated solution in Gaza and Iran. He stated that “Egypt’s leadership is key to advancing towards stability and prosperity in the region”. The Minister stated that “the Spanish Government urges all parties to respect the ceasefire until negotiations culminate in a solution that brings the conflict to an end, calling for moderation and diplomacy, as well as the need to make progress in implementing the two State solution”.
The Foreign Minister also highlighted the importance of Spanish in Egypt, noting that the Cervantes Institute in Cairo is one of the oldest in the network. In higher education, there are 2,000 students studying Hispanic philology and 4,000 taking Spanish as an optional subject, with a total of 19 Spanish departments across universities.
Upcoming agreements
During the meeting, it was agreed to work towards the forthcoming signing of three agreements. The first concerns triangular cooperation, aimed at developing joint initiatives for the benefit of third countries, particularly in regions of common interest, notably the African continent, and builds on a commitment included in the Alliance for Sustainable Development 2025–2030, with Egypt being a priority country for the AECID. On political consultations, with a particular focus on priority regions for both countries: Africa and the Middle East. And, finally, on the establishment of a programme of visits by young diplomats, which will strengthen exchanges with the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and enable the diplomatic services of both countries to forge closer ties by enhancing mutual understanding.
The forthcoming signing of these agreements demonstrates that the existing strategic partnership has deepened and has helped to strengthen this bond in key areas such as trade and investment, development cooperation, home affairs and regular migration, defence, culture, and agriculture and fisheries.
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