Pope Tawadros II visits UAE in gesture of gratitude

Pope Tawadros II, head of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and the highest Coptic authority in Egypt, landed in the United Arab Emirates on Friday, as part of a five-day visit.

In a phone interview to Al-Mehwar channel this morning, Ramses al-Naggar, a legal advisor to the Orthodox Church, said that the visit is meant as a gesture of gratitude toward the UAE for supporting Egypt during the turbulence of the past period.

This marks Tawadros II’s first visit to the Gulf since he took on his position in 2012. According to Al-Ahram, the visit will include meetings with the UAE’s president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan, as well as other officials. He is planned to start his visit in Abu Dhabi and head to Sharjah on Monday, before returning to Egypt the following day.

Presidential candidate Abdel Fattah al-Sisi also visited the UAE in March in his capacity as Defense Minister, prior to the announcement of his presidential bid, to witness joint military exercises.

The UAE has voiced its support for the military’s move to remove former President Mohamed Morsi from power in July in the midst of a wave of international condemnation. UAE also stayed supportive of Egypt’s military-backed regime in the months that followed, despite accusations of human rights violations following a severe crackdown on protest movements by countries such as Qatar, the United States and the UK.

In October, shortly after the US withheld some of its military aid to Egypt following the violent dispersal of protests in August, the UAE signed an aid agreement raising the total amount of aid given to Egypt to US$7 billion. According to the agreement, the UAE would provide Egypt with $1 billion in cash, an equal amount geared toward the supply of gas, and the rest in the form of investments in developmental projects.

In January, the official Emirates News Agency clarified statements by Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, urging Sisi not to run for president, which were published by the BBC. The news agency explained that Maktoum had advised Sisi not to run in his military capacity, but that he had the freedom to choose to run as a civilian.