German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier began a three-day visit to Egypt on Tuesday.
He wants to honour the decades of close partnership with the North African country and its role as a mediator in the Middle East conflict. It is the first time in 25 years that a German head of state has travelled there.
Steinmeier will meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on Wednesday. In addition to bilateral relations, the Middle East conflict is also likely to be a topic of discussion.
Together with Qatar, Egypt is the most important mediator in the region for a ceasefire in the Gaza war and the release of Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian group Hamas, though the negotiations are currently at a standstill.
Steinmeier also wants to explain Germany’s position on the Gaza conflict during his talks. The fact that the German government has so clearly sided with Israel has cost Germany trust and sympathy in the region.
Steinmeier will be accompanied by a business delegation. Germany is Egypt’s most important trading partner in Europe. More than 250 German companies are present in the country. Germans also make up the largest group of foreign tourists.
Politically, Amnesty International has highlighted serious human rights violations in Egypt. Government critics are suppressed and civil society is harassed. Freedom of expression, association and assembly are severely restricted, and there is torture, unfair trials and the death penalty.
At the start of his visit, Steinmeier plans to meet representatives of civil society and German political foundations active in Egypt.
