{"id":562451,"date":"2021-05-25T03:53:10","date_gmt":"2021-05-25T03:53:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2021\/05\/25\/this-morning-its-a-huge-day-for-diplomacy-as-el-sisi-biden-talk-agai-qatars-fm-lands-and-cairo-readies-to-welcome-blinken\/"},"modified":"2021-05-25T03:53:10","modified_gmt":"2021-05-25T03:53:10","slug":"this-morning-its-a-huge-day-for-diplomacy-as-el-sisi-biden-talk-agai-qatars-fm-lands-and-cairo-readies-to-welcome-blinken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2021\/05\/25\/this-morning-its-a-huge-day-for-diplomacy-as-el-sisi-biden-talk-agai-qatars-fm-lands-and-cairo-readies-to-welcome-blinken\/","title":{"rendered":"THIS MORNING: It\u2019s a huge day for diplomacy as El Sisi, Biden talk agai, Qatar\u2019s FM lands, and Cairo readies to welcome Blinken"},"content":{"rendered":"

Good morning, friends, and welcome to a packed issue this morning<\/strong>, with plenty of news spanning from diplomacy to M&A as we start pushing over hump day.<\/p>\n

IT\u2019S A BIG DAY FOR: Diplomacy, as Cairo continues to thaw relations with one of our <\/strong>most important Western allies <\/strong>\u2014 and mends fences with Qatar.<\/p>\n

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and US President Joe Biden have had their second call <\/strong>in less than a week<\/strong>, a clear end to a period of frosty relations between the two longtime allies that began when Biden moved into the White House. The two leaders discussed how to reinforce the Egypt-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas \u2014 and, critically, also talked about GERD and Libya, according to readouts. We have chapter and verse in this morning\u2019s news well, below.<\/p>\n

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Egypt in the coming days as part of a <\/strong>peacebuilding trip<\/strong> to our neck of the woods, according to a statement<\/a> by the US State Department. Blinken will visit Jerusalem and Ramallah first before heading to Cairo and finishing off with Amman, Jordan. Look for Blinken to sit down with President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, it looks like we\u2019re well on our way to becoming friends with Qatar once again <\/strong>as Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani is meeting with Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Cairo today as part of a two-day visit, Youm7<\/a> reports. Al Thani landed in Cairo last night, after making stops in Sudan and Libya. This is Al Thani\u2019s first visit to Cairo since Egypt and the GCC blockaded Qatar in 2017<\/strong>, marking a milestone that indicates the rapprochement is properly underway, after the two countries restored ties earlier this year<\/a>. The visit comes after Egypt played a central role in mediating the Palestine-Israel ceasefire, which is expected to be a key talking point for the ministers today.<\/p>\n

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry is due to hold meetings in Athens next month with <\/strong>counterparts from Greece, Cyprus, and France<\/strong>, Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides said in a statement<\/a> picked up by Cyprus Mail<\/a>. The EU could be looking to participate in the <\/strong>East Mediterranean Gas Forum<\/a><\/strong> and will send in a request soon, Christodoulides suggested.<\/p>\n

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ALSO THIS MORNING- We have an exclusive sitdown with EFG Hermes Group CEO <\/strong>Karim Awad. <\/strong>Part one this morning looks at the firm\u2019s recently announced acquisition of commercial lender AIB in partnership with the Sovereign Fund of Egypt. Part two appears in EnterprisePM this afternoon<\/strong> and sees Awad digging deeper into what\u2019s next for EFG Hermes and for the market at large.<\/p>\n

LATER TODAY- Look for the release of an IMF report on Egypt\u2019s reform program.<\/strong> We have more in Last Night\u2019s Talk Shows, below.<\/p>\n

THE BIG STORIES ABROAD this morning: <\/strong>The EU\u2019s imposition of sanctions on Belarus<\/a> for forcing down a flight with a dissident journalist leads the front pages, but the most business-relevant news for us here in Cairo:<\/p>\n