President
Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and King Felipe VI of Spain exchanged the highest state
honors during a formal event at Al-Ittihadiya Presidential Palace, attended by
First Lady Entissar El-Sisi and Queen Letizia of Spain.
President El-Sisi
awarded King Felipe VI the Order of the Nile, Egypt’s highest state honor. He
also presented Queen Letizia with the Order of the Virtues in its highest
class.
In return, and in
recognition of the longstanding historical relations between the two countries,
King Felipe VI bestowed upon President Sisi the Collar of the Order of Isabella
the Catholic, the order’s highest grade.
First Lady Entissar
El-Sisi was also awarded the Order of Isabella the Catholic.
King Felipe and
Queen Letizia started their first state visit to Egypt on Tuesday, accompanied
by Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation José Manuel
Albares.
According to the
Spanish foreign ministry, their visit represents “a favorable opportunity to
continue strengthening the deep historical, political, economic, cultural,
scientific, cooperative and human ties” between Egypt and Spain.
The king and the
queen will visit Spanish economic, cultural and scientific projects in both
Cairo and Luxor, including archaeological sites, noted the ministry.
The Egypt-Spain
Business Forum will also be held during their trip to enhance economic and
trade relations between both countries.
Before meeting the
Egyptian president and first lady, King Felipe and Queen Letizia took part in a
wreath-laying ceremony at the Unknown Soldier Memorial in Nasr City district.
Source: Egypt Today