Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi arrived in Algeria on Tuesday to participate in the 31st Arab Summit, which began in the capital Algiers and would end today. He was received at the airport by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
The participation of President Sisi in the Arab Summit comes as part of Egypt’s keenness to strengthen the bonds of co-operation and brotherly relations with all Arab countries and in continuation of Egypt’s pivotal role in boosting efforts to advance joint action for the benefit of all Arab peoples, Presidency Spokesman Ambassador Bassam Radi said.
The Algiers summit will focus on enhancing consultation and coordination between the Arab countries regarding efforts to maintain security and stability in the region and bolster Arab interests, especially in light of the existing challenges at international and regional levels, due to the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and the Ukrainian crisis.
The president is scheduled to hold a number of bilateral meetings with his fellow Arab leaders in order to discuss ways to enhance joint bilateral relation and exchange views on the latest developments on the regional and international arenas.
The summit is the first in two years, and will cover the Palestinian Cause, Arab-European and Arab-African relations, economic affairs, investment, and intra-Arab trade exchange.
The summit has been portrayed as a mark of Algeria’s return to frontline after its absence from Arab affairs for several years following the 2019 mass protests that led to the ousting of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
“The summit shows that Algeria is back in international affairs after years of isolation due to Bouteflika’s illness, the protest movement, Covid-19 and the financial crisis,” a former Algerian government minister and ambassador said.
Last month Algiers convened Palestinian factions in an effort to end years of internal discord, and President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has in recent months hosted the leaders of France and Italy.
However, Algeria failed, earlier this year, to persuade other Arab states to end Syria’s suspension from membership of the Arab League imposed in late 2011 over Assad’s crackdown on protesters as an uprising spilled into civil war. Damascus said in September it would not attend to avoid “causing dispute”.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the United Arab Emirates leader Mohammed bin Zayed have both confirmed they are not coming to Algiers, as has Morocco’s King Mohammed VI.
Central areas of Algiers, and the highway to the recently built conference centre on the coast where the summit takes place, have been replanted with trees and decked out in Arab flags. Models of Arab architecture adorn a central square.
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