Sherif Issa, Egypt's assistant foreign minister for African affairs, led a high-ranking delegation from various ministries and companies to Djibouti this month to discuss strengthening economic and other relations between the two countries.

Some wondered about the motives behind the March 14 visit, with one analyst saying Egypt is now trying to catch up with rival Ethiopia in the Horn of Africa.

An Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement said the visit culminated in Djibouti's approval to license an Egyptian company to operate flights between the two countries in order to facilitate the movement of passengers and goods. Djibouti also authorized an Egyptian bank to work in Djibouti, in addition to reaching agreement on cooperation involving the building of housing units, ports, logistical and industrial areas, in developing fish farming and on ways to remove informal settlements, the statement added.

“The visit marks the inauguration of a new phase of bilateral relations between the two countries,” the statement read. A spokesman for Djibouti's embassy in Cairo told Al-Monitor that the “visit aims to strengthen Egyptian-Djiboutian relations and cooperation in various sectors.”