President Sheikh Mohamed and the UAE astronaut corps met Egypt's President <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/2023/09/16/el-sisi-doubles-living-allowance-and-raises-tax-breaks-for-egypts-state-employees/">Abdel Fattah El Sisi</a> in Abu Dhabi on Monday. “I was pleased to welcome my brother to Abu Dhabi to discuss the enduring friendship that binds the UAE and Egypt,” Sheikh Mohamed wrote on social media site X, formerly Twitter. “Together, we are committed to strengthening diplomacy and dialogue as we work to foster stability and prosperity for our region and beyond.” Mr El Sisi was pictured with astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, who returned to the capital to <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/uae-in-space/2023/09/18/sultan-al-neyadi-receives-heros-welcome-in-abu-dhabi/" target="_blank">a hero's welcome</a> on Monday after six months aboard the International Space Station. The Egyptian leader also met Nora Al Matrooshi, Hazza Al Mansouri and Mohammed Al Mulla, the other members of the astronaut team. He has now returned to Egypt after his two-day visit to the UAE. <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/egypt/">Egypt </a>and the UAE are close allies, bound by political and economic ties. The UAE is among Egypt's major Arab financial backers and has over the years invested billions of dollars in the country, the most populous Arab nation with 105 million people. Sheikh Mohamed and Mr El Sisi also met last month, when they held talks in the Egyptian city of New Alamein on the Mediterranean coast.