G7 Summit in France: Anticipated Meeting Between Sisi and Trump to Discuss Middle East Issues

The French city of Evian is preparing to host the summit of the Group of Seven (G7) major industrialized nations between June 15 and 17, amidst widespread international anticipation. The Egyptian presidency officially announced the participation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in this summit, in response to an invitation from his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, who expanded the circle of participation to include Arab leaders.

The agenda for the visit is expected to include a high-level bilateral meeting between President Sisi and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the meetings. This meeting aims to coordinate joint efforts on urgent regional issues, especially given the exceptional circumstances the Middle East region has been experiencing since the beginning of this year.

This summit comes at a very sensitive time, as it is the first major international gathering since the outbreak of military confrontations, which included American and Israeli strikes against Iranian targets last February. These developments have led to an expansion of the conflict to include Lebanese territories, placing de-escalation at the top of the priorities for the leaders meeting in France.

In a related context, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman apologized for not accepting the invitation to participate in the international summit, citing prior commitments that prevented his travel. Official Saudi sources confirmed that the Kingdom is closely following the outcomes of the summit, despite the absence of representation at the highest leadership level in this forum.

Cairo plays a pivotal role in diplomatic mediation efforts, having engaged in intensive communications between Washington and Tehran in cooperation with regional partners such as Qatar, Turkey, and Pakistan. Despite this mediation, Egypt maintained a firm stance in condemning the attacks that targeted American interests and allied bases in the Arabian Gulf region in recent months.

Regarding the Iranian file, US President Donald Trump stated that an imminent agreement to end the war would be signed soon, indicating that this would be followed by the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to international navigation. However, diplomatic circles are still awaiting official confirmation from the Iranian side regarding the timing of the signing or the final terms of the agreement.

It is worth noting that Egypt successfully hosted an international peace conference last October, which led to a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip between Israel and resistance factions. The document of that agreement was signed in Sharm El Sheikh with guarantees from the leaders of Egypt, the United States, Turkey, and Qatar, paving the way for the start of humanitarian truce phases.

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi participates in the work of the G7 summit, with a bilateral meeting scheduled with US President Donald Trump.