Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi received on Wednesday the visiting US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and the accompanying delegation, Presidency Spokesman Ambassador Bassam Radi said.
Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri and Head of the General Intelligence Service Abbas Kamel attended the meeting, together with Acting US Ambassador in Cairo Nicole Champagne, National Security Council Coordinator for the Middle East Brett McGurk, Head of the North Africa Department at the US Council, and the senior Security Advisor Ariana Berengaut.
During the meeting, Sullivan conveyed to President Sisi President Joe Biden’s greetings and stressed the importance of the Egyptian-US alliance, saying that Washington is looking forward to promoting partnership with Cairo to broader prospects over the coming period, as part of the close and extensive relations between the two countries, Spokesman Radi said.
He also highlighted Egypt’s leading role in the Middle East region as a pillar of security and stability, particularly during the current critical juncture witnessing regional and international crises.
For his part, President Sisi dispatched greetings to President Biden and reiterated Cairo’s keenness to consolidate the extensive strategic ties with the US and to intensify bilateral co-operation at all levels as part of the mutual interests and to support efforts to restore security and stability in the Middle East amid the tension and turmoil in the region, Radi said.
The meeting reviewed developments of the Palestinian cause.
In this respect, President Sisi stressed that solving the issue, in line with the international terms of reference, would create a new reality and open up a fresh and abroad prospect for building peace and extend bridges of confidence, co-operation and development all over the region, the spokesman added.
The US advisor expressed the US administration’s appreciation for Egypt’s extended efforts to realise peace in the region, referring to its key role in achieving calm between the Palestinians and Israel, as well as its initiative to reconstruct Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, the discussions touched upon recent developments of a host of regional issues, as President Sisi underscored Cairo’s unwavering stance on the necessity of extending support to counties facing crises, and backing their national institutions to end their people’s sufferings. This would also help end the vacuum that led to the emergence of terrorist groups, Radi said.
The two sides discussed ways to boost bilateral efforts to combat terrorism and extremist thinking, as Sullivan lauded Egypt’s relentless role in this regard.
One more major issue discussed yesterday was that of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). In this respect, President Sisi stressed Egypt’s firm stand on the need to reach a legally binding agreement on filling and operating the dam, to preserve the country’s water security and realise the interests of the three countries – Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.
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