Cairo, Sep 17 (EFE).- King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain were received Wednesday at Cairo’s al-Ittihadiya Palace by Egyptian President Abdelfatah El-Sisi and First Lady Entissar Amer El-Sisi, marking the start of the second day of their first state visit to Egypt.
The royal couple was welcomed with national anthems and an honor guard at the palace gates, where the queen and Egypt’s first lady stood together for the ceremony.
Earlier in the day, Felipe and Letizia laid a floral offering at Cairo’s Unknown Soldier Monument, built in 1974 to honor Egyptians killed in the Yom Kippur War and later chosen as the burial site of President Anwar Sadat after his 1981 assassination.
Inside the palace, the Spanish royals and the Egyptian president greeted their delegations before holding separate meetings, followed by a joint bilateral session.
Spain’s delegation included Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, Royal Household chief Camilo Villarino, Ambassador to Egypt Álvaro Iranzo, and Secretary of State for Trade Amparo López Senovilla.
Egypt was represented by President Al-Sisi, Foreign Minister Abdr Abdelatt, and Investment and Trade Minister Hassan Al-Khatib, among others.
During the ceremony, Felipe VI received the Collar of the Nile, Egypt’s highest honor, while Queen Letizia was awarded the Order of Al Kamal. In return, Al-Sisi received the Collar of the Order of Isabel the Catholic, and Egypt’s first lady was decorated with the Grand Cross of the same order.
The visit continues with a luncheon in honor of the Spanish royals, followed by Felipe’s meetings with Hanafy El-Gabali, Speaker of Egypt’s House of Representatives, and Abdel Wahab Abdel Razek, President of the Senate.
Felipe and Al-Sisi last met on February 19 at Madrid’s Royal Palace during the signing of a Strategic Partnership Declaration, making this the second encounter between the two heads of state in the same year — a rarity in diplomatic relations. EFE
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