Geopolitical Briefing: Egypt
5 August 2025
- Egypt signed a new Mediterranean oil and gas exploration agreement with Eni and BP.
- Egypt joined a joint Arab declaration calling on Hamas to disarm and exit Gaza at a UN summit.
- Chinese Premier Li Qiang made a state visit to Egypt following the BRICS summit.
- Egypt repatriated over 190,000 Sudanese refugees to Sudan amid post-conflict return flows.
- Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt’s long-standing position for diplomacy over military escalation between Israel and Iran.
On 31 July 2025, Egypt entered a new oil and gas exploration partnership with Italy’s Eni and Britain's BP, planning exploratory drilling in the Mediterranean and Lake Timsah region. The agreement aims to enhance Egypt’s hydrocarbon production and attract international energy investment, leveraging geological potential to bolster domestic supply and reduce reliance on external suppliers. This move underscores Egypt’s efforts to regain strategic control over energy resources and mitigate vulnerabilities tied to gas imports.
At a UN summit on 29 July 2025, Egypt publicly endorsed a multilateral declaration alongside Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and EU partners calling for Hamas to disarm and relinquish its governance role in Gaza to the Palestinian Authority. This marks Egypt’s most explicit alignment with a moderate regional bloc rejecting militant rule, while signaling openness to future normalization with Israel under diplomatic frameworks. Egypt’s participation reflects calculated positioning to diversify regional alliances and hedge Western policy trajectories.
Between 9–10 July 2025, Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited Egypt after attending the BRICS summit in Rio, following an invitation from Cairo. The diplomatic visit indicates deepening bilateral ties within the BRICS network and underscores China’s role in reinforcing Egypt's strategic autonomy. Engagement at this level affirms Egypt’s intent to balance its Western reliance by strengthening eastern partnerships.
According to IOM data released 29 July 2025, over 190,000 Sudanese refugees voluntarily returned from Egypt to Sudan — spurred by Sudan’s regained control over Khartoum. The organized repatriation underscores Egypt’s transitional role hosting exiles, while managing demographic and political implications of prolonged refugees at home. Egypt’s facilitation of return flows reflects calibrated migration policy amid regional instability.
On 21 June 2025, Egypt’s Foreign Minister reiterated to the U.S. envoy that regional stability hinges on political dialogue, not military escalation between Israel and Iran. This stance reinforces Cairo’s longstanding diplomatic posture and signals advocacy for mediation over confrontation. Such messaging asserts Egypt’s role as regional interlocutor within major security dialogues.
