Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi holds talks with Egypt's El Sisi during Cairo visit

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed attended an iftar hosted in his honour

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed is received by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi at Cairo International Airport on Saturday. Courtesy: Ministry of Presidential Affairs

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, with President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. Courtesy: Ministry of Presidential Affairs

The Emirati delegation led by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed was also hosted for iftar by the Egyptian president. AFP

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed with President Abdel Fattah El Sisi at Heliopolis Palace in Cairo. AFP

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and President Abdel Fattah El Sisi hold talks in Cairo. Courtesy: Ministry of Presidential Affairs

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, travelled to Cairo on Saturday for an official visit.

Sheikh Mohamed was welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi at Cairo International Airport.

He was accompanied by senior figures including Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed.

They attended an iftar hosted by Mr El Sisi at the Heliopolis Palace, followed by talks.

During the meeting, they discussed the latest developments in the global battle against Covid-19 and the two countries' efforts to stem the fallout from the pandemic, state news agency Wam reported.

Sheikh Mohamed conveyed to Mr El Sisi greetings from President Sheikh Khalifa, wishing him continued good health and well-being and more progress and prosperity to the people of Egypt.

The Emirati delegation left Cairo later on Saturday.

Sheikh Mohamed last visited Cairo in December, when he and Mr El Sisi discussed the Nile dam being built by Ethiopia, which is a source of concern for Egypt and Sudan, among other issues.

In 2019, Egypt was the UAE’s sixth-biggest trading partner in the region, while the Emirates was Egypt’s second-biggest.

Non-oil trade between the countries reached Dh20.1 billion ($5.47bn) in 2019, the UAE Ministry of Economy says.

The UAE ranks first globally in terms of investments in Egypt, with total foreign direct investment reaching Dh24.3bn from 990 Emirati companies at the end of 2018.

Meanwhile, Egypt ranks 28th globally in terms of foreign direct investment into the UAE, with a total of Dh3.3bn in the same period.