Cairo: Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi travels to Oman on Sunday for his first visit to the Gulf country since he took office in mid-2014.
During the three-day visit, Al Sissi will meet Sultan Qaboos Bin Saeed for talks on boosting ties between Cairo and Muscat as well as reviewing the latest regional developments, an Egyptian official said.
“The visit reflects keenness of the president [ Al Sissi] to enhance brotherly and historical relations between the Egyptian and Omani people,” presidential spokesman Basam Radi said in a statement.
He added that the talks are also aimed at promoting “constant consultation and coordination” between Egypt and Oman.
Relations between Egypt and Oman have been characteristically warm for decades. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry visited Muscat twice last year.
There are an estimated 59,000 Egyptian expatriates in Oman.
Egypt’s ties with Gulf countries have deepened since 2013 when the army, then led by Al Sissi, deposed Islamist president Mohammad Mursi, a senior official in the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, following enormous protests against his one-year rule.
The Gulf countries have since pumped billions of dollars to prop up the Egyptian economy battered by the unrest after the 2011 uprising.
