Articles
Foundations and Prospects of Egyptian–British Relations
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Prepared by: Riham Mohamed
Researcher at the Middle East Affairs Unit
Egyptian–British relations represent a form of international interaction that blends a deep historical legacy with evolving strategic imperatives, the current equation is shaped by the relative power of both parties and their standing within the structures of the regional and international systems, where their interests converge on issues such as maritime security, Middle East stability, and the uninterrupted flow of trade and energy through vital chokepoints.
This relationship is framed within a broader context of structural transformations. Following its exit from the European Union, the United Kingdom seeks to rebuild its network of alliances beyond its traditional European sphere. In parallel, Egypt aims to diversify its strategic partnerships to avoid overreliance on any single global power, thereby enhancing its maneuverability in a multipolar international environment.
Accordingly, the significance of the relationship is measured not only by the volume of trade exchange or the level of existing security cooperation, but by the extent to which both sides can develop a long-term institutional framework that integrates present interests with a comprehensive strategic vision—balancing responses to regional crises, such as those in the Middle East and the Red Sea, with investments in economic and technological integration that secure the sustainability of the partnership in the face of strategic shifts in the years ahead. Against this backdrop, a key question arises: to what extent can Egypt and the United Kingdom reframe their partnership to strike a balance between security imperatives and development needs amid the current regional and global transformations?
Political–security foundations of Egyptian–British relations:
Relations between Cairo and London are based on a solid mix of political and security interests, in which considerations of regional influence intersect with the necessities of national security in a volatile international environment, making this dimension the governing framework for all strategic interactions between the two countries. These foundations can be highlighted as follows:
At the political level, the relationship between the two countries is embodied in four main axes:
Institutional framework for strategic dialogue: March 2024 witnessed a remarkable step in bilateral relations between Egypt and Britain through the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the foreign ministries of the two countries, which aimed to establish a mechanism for regular strategic dialogue, especially after a long period of regional and international challenges, which reflects the awareness of both sides of the requirements of stability. The importance of this step does not lie in its diplomatic framework Rather, it comes after a period in which the volume of trade exchange between Cairo and London increased, which amounted to approximately 4.7 billion pounds sterling in the latest 2024–2025 data, which provides a real economic base that supports political understanding. This institutional development reflects the two parties’ awareness of the importance of having a fixed mechanism for managing sensitive files, away from circumstantial reactions Amid a turbulent international environment marked by sharp fluctuations since the COVID-19 pandemic, the aftermath of the war in Ukraine, and regional tensions in the Middle East, most notably the war in Gaza. [1]
The thorny regional issues: They represent a strategic challenge and a testing environment for Cairo and London’s cooperation in building an effective political and security partnership. The crises in the Middle East and Africa present the two parties with common interests that require integration between Egyptian field experience and British diplomatic weight. This is highlighted as follows:
– On the Gaza issue, Egypt continues its pivotal role as a major mediator to calm the situation and stop the escalation between the Palestinian factions and Israel, based on its geographical location and historical relations with the parties. On the other hand, Britain supports this effort through its diplomatic channels in the Security Council and international organizations, and provides political support for humanitarian relief activities.
– As for the Sudanese crisis, the nature of cooperation seems clearer. Egypt, by virtue of its neighborhood and historical ties, faces the burden of the influx of refugees, and seeks to organize mediation efforts in cooperation with the African Union and the countries of the region, while Britain, in turn, is active through its historical influence in the Horn of Africa in international initiatives aimed at achieving stability, which paves the way for greater cooperation in reconstruction and strengthening humanitarian infrastructure.
– In Libya, the field is open for complementary roles; Britain supports the United Nations’ efforts to organize elections and unify institutions, while Cairo contributes by hosting rounds of political dialogue and focusing its efforts on unifying the Libyan army, in order to achieve a common goal for both parties in preventing the country from sliding into chaos or returning to a large-scale armed conflict.
– In the Eastern Mediterranean and the Red Sea, common interests converge in protecting the security of sea lanes and freedom of international navigation, in addition to securing energy infrastructure, including the vital Bab al-Mandab corridor. The importance of this cooperation doubled after the 2022 Russia–Ukraine war, with the escalation of disruptions in global supply chains, making Egypt a pivotal element in British geopolitical calculations and a pillar for the stability of trade and energy flows to Europe and the world.
Divergent methodologies: Despite the convergence of Egyptian–British interests on a number of issues, the gap in political approach remains a distinctive feature of the dealings between the two parties. While London tends to work through multilateral frameworks such as the European Union and NATO, exploiting its long experience in building international alliances, Cairo, in return, adopts a more flexible bilateral approach that allows it more room to maneuver on issues that directly affect its national security This difference is clearly evident in dealing with the Horn of Africa issue. Egypt sees the region as part of its water security and linked to the Ethiopian dam issue, while Britain views it within a broader regional stability and development framework linked to the initiatives of international institutions. This gap in perspective is not a permanent obstacle, but it adds a layer of complexity to formulating unified positions, especially when direct security considerations overlap with longer-term development agendas.
Mutual strategic importance: Egypt retains special importance in the British vision as a major gateway to Africa and the Arab region and a key to navigation security in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Red Sea. In contrast, Britain represents a strategic partner for Egypt with its political influence in Western decision-making circles and being one of the largest foreign investors in the Egyptian market, as its cumulative investments exceeded $21 billion by mid-2024 This intertwining of interests strengthens bilateral relations and turns every crisis into an opportunity to assess the depth of strategic cooperation between the two parties. Despite the coldness that has prevailed in relations over the past decades, the current trend shows an increasing focus on building trust and maximizing the use of economic and security potential to reach a new level of mutual understanding.
As for the security and military aspect, it emerges through several basic axes:
Cooperation in combating terrorism and protecting borders: Since the signing of the security memorandum of understanding between the Egyptian and British Ministries of Defense in September 2015, security cooperation between the two countries has witnessed remarkable development and greater comprehensiveness, especially in light of the growing terrorist threats in the Sahel, Sahara and North Sinai regions. Britain has played a fundamental role by providing specialized training programs for Egyptian forces in areas such as explosives detection, airport security, and electronic warfare. By 2023, More than 450 Egyptian officers have participated in these training programmes within the United Kingdom, while Britain has sent security experts to Egypt to enhance airport and port protection capabilities, an issue that gained particular importance after the Russian plane crash in October 2015. In addition to training and expertise, the cooperation includes direct exchange of intelligence information on the movements of cross-border terrorist groups, particularly in Libya and the Sahel region. [2]
Red Sea and Maritime Corridor Security: Red Sea security represents a strategic meeting point between Cairo and London, particularly due to its close connection to the Suez Canal, through which 12% to 15% of global trade passes annually. Since late 2023, with the escalation of threats represented by Houthi attacks on commercial ships, coordination between the Egyptian and British naval forces has been strengthened in exchanging information and monitoring ship movement, as Britain has sought As a prominent member of the International Maritime Alliance Combined Maritime Forces)), to engage Egypt more broadly in maritime surveillance and insurance activities, in May 2024, the Egyptian and British navies carried out a joint naval exercise entitled “Alexandria Defenders”, which lasted for several days at the Alexandria Naval Base.[3]
Military training and joint maneuvers: Since 2016, joint military maneuvers between Egypt and Britain have increased in momentum and effectiveness. In recent years, these exercises have witnessed a qualitative expansion, both in terms of their nature and objectives. These include ground maneuvers in September 2022 with the participation of paratroopers from both sides to focus operations on airdrops and combating terrorism in urban environments. Meanwhile, the Egyptian Air Force participated in intensive air exercises in Britain during August 2023 It involved simulating complex air interception operations using advanced defense systems. This cooperation not only enhances the technical efficiency of the joint forces, but also helps build a common operational language and deeper understanding between military leaders, ensuring effective coordination to confront regional crises.[4]
Defense industries and military technologies: Relations between the two countries in the field of defense industries are limited, but they exist. British companies such as “BAE Systems” and ”Rolls-Royce Defense” have shown increasing interest in entering the Egyptian market through contracts to modernize some combat systems and supply spare parts for fighters and helicopters used by the Egyptian Armed Forces Although the size of these deals is limited and still smaller compared to Egypt’s defense partnerships with the United States or France, Britain’s participation offers Cairo additional options to diversify its sources of armament.
Economic –cultural components of Egyptian – British relations:
Economic interests and soft power represent a parallel pillar of relations, as the movement of trade and investment overlaps with the paths of cultural, educational and development cooperation, in formulating multi-level ties that go beyond immediate interests towards building a sustainable partnership, and these complex components can be explained as follows:
Volume and dimensions of trade exchange: Economic relations between Egypt and Britain have witnessed remarkable development in recent years, especially since the entry into force of the Egyptian–British Association Agreement in January 2021, which came to replace the Egyptian–European Association Agreement after Britain’s exit from the European Union. According to data from the British Ministry of International Trade, the volume of trade exchange between the two countries during the period 2023-2024 amounted to about 4.7 billion pounds sterling, recording a growth of about 6% Compared to the previous year, this growth reflects the ability of trade relations to adapt to global economic challenges, such as the effects of the war in Ukraine and slowing growth in Europe.[5]
British investments in Egypt: Britain is one of the largest foreign investors in Egypt, as the volume of British direct investments has exceeded $21 billion since mid-2024, distributed across multiple sectors such as energy, banking, financial services, real estate and education. Prominent companies such as BP and Shell continue their strategic investments in gas projects in the Mediterranean, especially in the West Delta fields, which are considered among the most prominent foreign energy projects in Egypt in recent years. In addition, Britain has emerged as an important player in the renewable energy sector through projects such as the “Banban” solar power plant in Aswan, in which companies supported by British funding have contributed. In addition to the financial returns, these investments have contributed to technology transfer and developing the skills of Egyptian cadres, which gives the economic relationship a deeper strategic character.[6]
Cooperation in infrastructure and transport: Since 2022, British companies have shown increasing interest in infrastructure and transport projects in Egypt, particularly those related to railways and the metro. Bombardier Transportation UK, for example, played a key role in developing the monorail linking East Cairo to the New Administrative Capital as part of a project valued at approximately $4.5 billion in cooperation with an international coalition This type of cooperation is in line with the goals of Egypt’s Vision 2030, which places infrastructure as a key factor in driving economic growth, and also provides Britain with an opportunity to support its presence in a sector witnessing unprecedented expansion at the regional level.[7]
Education and financial services as future growth drivers: Beyond traditional sectors, cooperation between Egypt and Britain is witnessing a significant expansion in the fields of education and financial services. Since 2018, a number of British universities have been established in Egypt, such as Hertfordshire Egypt”“, to keep pace with the continuing increase in demand for international education, and in the financial sector, British banks are working to strengthen their presence within the Egyptian market, taking advantage of the government’s move towards expanding financial inclusion and increasing the percentage of digital transactions, which reached more than 40% of total payments by 2024 compared to only 23% in 2020.