Ashraf AboArafe
Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister, received this morning at the government headquarters in the New Administrative Capital, Mr. Pedro Rolan, President of the Spanish Senate, and his accompanying delegation; to discuss a number of issues and topics of common interest, in the presence of Counselor Mahmoud Fawzy, Minister of Parliamentary and Legal Affairs and Political Communication, and Ambassador Heba Zaki, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Parliamentary Affairs.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Prime Minister expressed his appreciation for the historical and close relations between Egypt and Spain, noting that these relations have witnessed significant development since their inception during the first half of the twentieth century.
Dr. Mostafa Madbouly added that relations between Cairo and Madrid have been further strengthened following the historic visit of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to Spain last February, where the visit witnessed the signing of a declaration to upgrade relations between the two countries to the level of strategic partnership, which confirms the two countries’ desire to intensify cooperation in various fields through practical and effective frameworks that provide platforms for continuous dialogue and consultation on regional and international issues of common interest.
The Prime Minister stressed that Spain is an important partner for Egypt, whether in terms of Spain being a member of the European Union, with which Egypt enjoys strategic relations, or at the level of joint Mediterranean relations.
Dr. Mostafa Madbouly valued the Spanish role within the European Union in conveying Egyptian concerns on various issues, expressing his aspiration for Egypt to obtain the support of Spanish representatives in the European Parliament regarding the financial package provided by the European Union to Egypt.
He expressed his aspiration to strengthen relations with Madrid at all levels; Political, economic and parliamentary, praising the trade exchange rates between the two countries, which amounted to about 4 billion euros during 2024, and stressing that these rates can be doubled, taking into account the nature of the needs, exports and imports of the two countries, and the relative geographical proximity and direct shipping lines that link them.
The Prime Minister praised Spain’s firm position on the Palestinian issue and its official recognition of the State of Palestine, reviewing in this context the current situation in the Gaza Strip, and the repercussions of the war in the Strip that caused the death of thousands of civilians, in addition to the destruction of most of the infrastructure in the Strip.
Dr. Mostafa Madbouly reviewed the Egyptian efforts made regarding the Gaza Strip reconstruction plan in coordination with the Palestinian Authority, which was adopted by the emergency Arab Summit.
The Prime Minister pointed out that the convening of the Arab Summit in Cairo yesterday confirms that there is consensus between the Arab and African countries, as well as the European Union and the United Nations on the need to accelerate the reconstruction process of the Gaza Strip and reject the displacement of Palestinians from their homeland, and that displacement is against all principles of democracy and human rights, which are basic constants of the developed world.
Dr. Mostafa Madbouly explained that the Arab Summit reiterated that there is no way to resolve the crisis in the Gaza Strip except through the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister expressed his aspiration for the President of the Spanish Senate to attend the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, which will be Egypt’s gift to the world, saying: I promise you that you will see in this museum what you have never seen before.
In turn, Mr. Pedro Rolan, President of the Spanish Senate, expressed his appreciation for the warm reception he and his accompanying delegation received at the Cabinet headquarters in the New Administrative Capital, stressing his happiness with his current visit to Egypt.
Rolan pointed out that his visit to Egypt comes to discuss ways to enhance cooperation with the Egyptian side in various fields, especially the parliamentary affairs file, saying: We are taking serious steps to deepen our existing joint relations with Egypt and enhance their prospects to broader levels, as the partnership with Egypt is a priority for Spain.
He explained that Egypt and Spain have strong ties, and there is great agreement and understanding at the level of political leadership in the two countries, noting that the visit of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Republic, to Spain was a very successful visit.
The President of the Spanish Senate stressed that his country will continue to support Egypt on various political, economic and developmental levels, adding: We would like to share our development experience with Egypt over 40 years, and we also want to benefit from the Egyptian experience.
He expressed his aspiration to cooperate with Egypt in the parliamentary file, as well as in sharing experiences between Egyptian and Spanish institutions.
“Roland” expressed his aspiration to open the Grand Egyptian Museum, which is a very important achievement, will attract millions of visitors to Egypt, and will be one of the testimonies to the antiquity of Egyptian civilization.
Meanwhile, the President of the Spanish Senate congratulated the political leadership in Egypt on the good organization of the Arab Summit on the developments of the Palestinian issue hosted by Cairo yesterday, stressing that the summit opens broader horizons for political dialogue on the necessity of rebuilding the Gaza Strip and emphasizing the prevention of the displacement of Palestinians from their land.
During the meeting, Counselor Mahmoud Fawzy, Minister of Parliamentary and Legal Affairs and Political Communication, stressed that there is a broad horizon for cooperation between Egypt and Spain in the parliamentary affairs file, taking into account the popular dimension of parliamentary relations and what it can add to further claims between the two countries, in addition to Egypt’s interest in the Mediterranean parliamentary dimension.
The Minister stressed the readiness of the Egyptian Parliament in its two chambers (the House of Representatives and the Senate) to engage in a constructive dialogue with the Spanish Parliament, which would be reflected in strengthening parliamentary dialogue and communication between peoples and enhancing bilateral relations between the two countries.
