The Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, met this week in Madrid with his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, to discuss key issues on the bilateral and regional agenda. During the meeting, they addressed the upcoming signing of agreements that will strengthen triangular cooperation, political consultations, and a program of visits for young diplomats.
This visit comes at a time when relations between both countries are particularly close. A good example of this is the State visit of Their Majesties the Kings in September 2025, during which the Alliance for Sustainable Development 2025-2030 was established; the visit of President Al Sisi to Spain in February of the same year, which elevated the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership; or the attendance of the Prime Minister at the Sharm el Sheikh Summit, a result of Spain’s commitment to peace in Palestine. Also, the frequent contacts between both Foreign Ministers, within the framework of the Regional Forum of the Union for the Mediterranean or their participation in the meetings of the Madrid Group and Madrid + in September 2024 and May 2025 respectively.
This visit has allowed the ministers to address the work calendar and the agreements and initiatives that in 2026 will promote the Strategic Partnership between Spain and Egypt, strengthening the excellent bilateral relations in various areas such as economic-business, development cooperation, judicial cooperation, education, or circular migration.
Albares highlighted Egypt’s constructive stance and commitment to supporting a negotiated solution in Gaza and Iran, stating that “Egypt’s leadership is key to advancing stability and prosperity in the region.” The minister conveyed that “the Government of Spain urges all parties to respect the ceasefire until negotiations culminate in a solution that ends the conflict, calling for moderation and diplomacy, as well as the need to advance in the implementation of the two-state solution.”
The Foreign Minister also recalled the importance of Spanish in Egypt, with the Cervantes Institute in Cairo being one of the oldest in the network. In higher education, there are 2,000 students of Hispanic philology and 4,000 studying Spanish as an elective language, with a total of 19 Spanish departments in universities.
Upcoming agreements
During the meeting, it was agreed to work on the upcoming signing of three agreements:
In the area of triangular cooperation, aimed at developing joint initiatives for the benefit of third countries, especially in regions of common interest, particularly in the African continent, and which develops a commitment included in the Alliance for Sustainable Development 2025-2030, with Egypt being a priority country for AECID.
On political consultations with special attention to priority regions for both countries: Africa and the Middle East.
And finally, for the establishment of a program of visits for young diplomats that will strengthen exchanges with the Egyptian Foreign Ministry and allow the diplomatic services of both countries to strengthen ties by enhancing mutual knowledge.
With the upcoming signing of these agreements, it is evident that the existing strategic partnership has been deepening, as indicated by the Spanish Government in a statement made public through its website, and has allowed strengthening that bond in key areas such as trade and investment, development cooperation, internal affairs, regular migration, defense, culture, or agriculture and fishing.
