PRESIDENT Abdel Fattah El Sisi's meeting the other day with the then visiting United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah ben Zayed and the shared views that the discussions reflected constitute the latest evidence of the viability and strategic character that distinguish relations between the two countries. Be it in terms of ties at both leadership and governmental levels or in view of the harmony of approaches to the modalities of dealing with regional issues of mutual concern, relations between Egypt and the UAE have day after day established their worthiness in serving the interests of the two peoples and solidifying the common Arab attitude towards regional challenges. With economic ties and investment activities as one of the prime indicators of the status of relations between any two countries, the case of Egypt-UAE relations provides ample evidence of mutual keenness on the furtherance of multi-faceted ties through constant and sustainable efforts to refresh relations, highest-level meetings and the exchange of visits. Just one day ahead of President Sisi's meeting with Sheikh Abdullah, the joint Egypt-UAE Economic Committee convened a meeting in Cairo and reported that agreement had been reached on the promotion of economic co-operation in all fields with a view to creating a quality shift in trade and industrial exchanges as well as in joint investment activities. In addition to reflecting reciprocal willingness for steadily pushing forward these ties, the agreement reached at the conclusion of the joint committee meeting last Saturday pointed to the existence of a well-founded and plausible political framework the main components of which are best represented by the frequent leadership-level consultation and mutual confidence and understanding as well as in the large popular base of human relations and belongingness to the main body of Arab culture and history. Such a framework explains both the smoothness and effectiveness of moves to bolster the concrete aspects of relations as represented by economic and trade exchanges. So, Trade and Industry Minister Tarek Kabil who chaired the Egyptian side in the joint committee meeting spoke of the importance of joint efforts to foster the atmosphere of constant liaison between the two countries, the successful completion of a number of developmental projects, an agreement to seek the removal of all barriers that hinder the flow of trade between the two countries and the reformation and reinvigoration of the Egypt-UAE business council. Given these special and distinguishing dimensions, President Sisi indicated during the meeting with Sheikh ben Zayed, according to a Presidency spokesman's statement, that ties between Egypt and the UAE represent a model for strategic and constructive co-operation between Arab countries. It was also in this context of acknowledging the worthiness of Egypt-UAE relations at both bilateral and regional levels that the visiting Emirati senior official alluded in statements he made at the press conference with his host and counterpart Minister Sameh Shoukri to the importance of investing the strong ties and solidarity between his country and Egypt in dealing with the challenges that the Arab world is facing.
