CAIRO, March 5 (MENA) - Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli underlined the historic and deeply-rooted ties between Egypt and Spain.

He made the remarks during a meeting on Wednesday with President of the Spanish Senate Pedro Rollán and his accompanying delegation to review an array of issues of mutual interest.

The premier said the Cairo-Madrid ties were furthered after the historic visit of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to Spain last February as the visit witnessed the inking of a declaration on elevating relations between the two countries.

He said Spain is a key partner to Egypt, especially as Spain is a member of the European Union - with which Egypt has strategic relations, referring also to their joint Mediterranean relations.

He lauded the role played by Spain in the EU in conveying Egyptian concerns regarding several issues, adding that he is looking forward to supporting Egypt concerning a financial package presented by the EU to Egypt.

He also asserted interest in enhancing bilateral ties in various political, economic and parliamentary domains.

He stressed that trade exchange between the two countries can double, noting that it reached about 4 billion euros in 2024.

Madbouli lauded the steadfast Spanish stand vis-a-vis the Palestinian cause and its official recognition of the Palestinian state.

He reviewed the current conditions in the Gaza Strip and the repercussions of the war which caused thousands of civilians in addition to destroying most of the infrastructure of the enclave.

He reviewed the efforts exerted by Egypt with regard to the Gaza reconstruction plan in coordination with the Palestinian Authority.

The plan was endorsed by the emergency Arab summit which was held in Cairo on Tuesday.

The summit's convocation on Tuesday underlined agreement between the Arab and African countries, as well as the European Union and the United Nations, on the necessity of accelerating the process of rebuilding Gaza and rejecting 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, the prime minister said.

He added that the summit reiterated that the only way to settle the Gaza Strip crisis is establishing an independent Palestinian state.

Meanwhile, he invited the Spanish Senate president and his accompanying delegation to attend the inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum, which will be Egypt's gift to the world.

For his part, President of the Spanish Senate Pedro Rollán expressed happiness for the current visit to Egypt which fell within the framework of promoting cooperation with Egypt in various domains, especially the parliamentary one.

He added that serious efforts were taken to enhance partnership with Egypt which represents a top priority for Spain.

He highlighted the deeply-rooted ties between the two countries, highlighting amazing understanding between Egypt and Spain at the political levels.

He referred to the very successful visit by President Sisi to Spain, stressing that Spain will continue to support Egypt at the political, economic and development levels.

He highlighted keenness to share his country's development experiment over 40 years with Egypt, adding that Spain also seeks to benefit from Egypt's experience.

He voiced hop to cooperate with Egypt in the parliamentary domain with the participation of expertise from Egyptian and Spanish institutions.

He added that he is looking forward to the inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum which will be a great achievement luring millions of visitors to Egypt.

Within this context, Rollán congratulated the political leadership in Egypt for the outstanding organization of the emergency Arab summit which was held in Cairo on Tuesday to review the latest developments in the Palestinian cause.

He stressed that the summit opened vistas for political dialogue on reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and underlined rejection of forced displacement of the Palestinians.

For his part, Minister of Parliamentary and Legal Affairs and Political Communication Mahmoud Fawzi - who attended the meeting highlighted the wide vistas for cooperation between Egypt and Spain in the parliamentary domain.

He said the Egyptian parliament is ready to hold constructive dialogue with the Spanish parliament to promote parliamentary dialogue and communication between people of both countries. (MENA)
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