Egypt–Spain relations  Egypt–Spain relations are the bilateral and diplomatic relations between these two countries. Egypt has an embassy in Madrid. Spain has an embassy in Cairo. Both countries share a common framework in the context of the Union for the Mediterranean. Following the independence of Egypt in 1922, Spain established a diplomatic delegation in Cairo; it however was not upgraded to the rank of embassy until 1949. After the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, in the context of the hostility between Israel and Spain, with the former promoting the international isolation of Spain and the later failing to recognise the new State, a Pro-Arab line was fixed in Spain for the following years, shown in the ensuing conflicts that took place in the Middle East. Despite the interest Falangists and some staunchly Anti-Western military officers had in further rapprochement towards Nasserism, the Francoist regime had to restrain to some extent due to the pro-soviet overtures of Egypt, and the trouble such move could bring vis-à-vis the budding relations of Spain with the United States during the Cold War. In the context of the 1956 Suez Crisis, Spain stood in a middle ground between the stance of the Western powers and the Egyptian one, showing a degree of understanding towards the Arab nation, at least from the legal standpoint. From this position, the Spanish diplomacy ambitioned to play a role in the crisis, providing a framework for a solution in the London Conference; however, the proposal did not enjoy the attention of any of the parts in conflict, although it was ultimately included within an annex of the final resolution. Bilateral political relations have traditionally been fluid, without contentious and with frequent bilateral visits. Spain has been perceived as a friendly and close country, committed to Egypt and the region. The framework of these relations is determined by the bilateral Friendship and Cooperation Agreement signed in Cairo February 5 of 2008. After the fall of the Hosni Mubarak regime, Spain has sought to relaunch bilateral relations by valuing the Spanish experience in the transition to democracy and being willing to accompany Egypt in its democratization. In the last two years, the momentum of bilateral relations first materialized with the visit to Cairo, on the 9th and 10 September 2012, of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation José Manuel García-Margallo and, later, with the visit to Madrid, on November 6, of the Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy. This visit, the first of the Egyptian Minister to a European capital, served to resume political dialogue, review internal and international political news and examine economic and commercial relations, with special emphasis on Spanish investments in Egypt.