President Sisi said that the meeting reflected the convergence of views between the two countries on all issues, and that the mutual efforts to enhance co-operation in economic fields have also received special attention in Saturday’s discussions.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said that his “constructive” discussion with his Tunisian counterpart Kais Said dealt with a large number of bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest, reflecting a common will to strengthen the “distinguished” relations between the two countries and upgrading them in various areas to wider horizons.
President Sisi’s remarks came during a joint press conference with the Tunisian president following their summit talks at the Presidential Palace Saturday.
“I emphasised Egypt’s readiness to develop this co-operation in a way that achieves development goals in the two countries, whether at the level of trade or investment exchange, which we hope will rise to the level of the distinguished political relations between us,” he said.
The Tunisian leader arrived in Cairo on Friday on a three-day official visit, his first since coming to power in October 2019.
The two leaders first held a one-to-one meeting and then were joined by delegations from their two countries, Presidential Spokesman Ambassador Bassam Radi said.
He added that President Sisi praised the level of bilateral ties binding the two countries.
Egypt, President Sisi said, is keen on making more efforts to enhance the frameworks of bilateral co-operation with Tunisia in all fields.
This is particularly true when it comes to the need for boosting channels of effective communication and increasing trade exchange and investments between the two countries, the Egyptian leader said.
President Sisi also expressed hopes that Egypt and Tunisia can intensify their consultations on all regional issues of common interest, especially given Tunisia’s current membership of the United Nations Security Council.
President Saied, for his part, said his country holds its close and distinguished bonds with Egypt at the public and official levels in high esteem.
He praised the achievements Egypt made at the domestic levels in the past few years.
The Tunisian leader cited stability, security and development as fields where Egypt was making remarkable progress.
This progress has contributed to helping Egypt regain its leading and effective position on the regional and international stages, President Saied said.
This, he added, reflects positively on co-operation between Egypt and other Arab and African countries.
The Tunisian president also praised the efforts the Egyptian government makes in reaching settlements to regional crises and pushing regional economic integration forward.
He said his country is keen on enhancing co-operation, consultations and coordination with Egypt at all levels.
We want to do this at the bilateral level and at the level of regional and international issues of common interest, President Saied said.
Ambassador Radi said talks between President Sisi and President Saied focused on means of enhancing bilateral relations and exploring new channels of co-operation, especially in the economic field and in trade and investments’ exchange.
He said the two leaders also discussed co-operation at the level of security and the exchange of information, in the light of the common challenges facing both Egypt and Tunisia, including terrorism and extremist ideologies.
The two leaders agreed on the need for boosting security co-operation and the exchange of information, Ambassador Radi said.
He added that talks between President Sisi and President Saied also tackled latest developments on the Libyan stage.
The two presidents, he said, agreed on the need for intensifying coordination in this regard, given the fact that Egypt and Tunisia share borders with Libya.
The two leaders agreed that the lack of a settlement for the Libyan crisis would have an effect on their countries’ national security, the presidential spokesman said.
He added that President Sisi and President Saied welcomed the formation of a new executive power in Libya.
They said their countries would continue to offer support to the Libyan people until they rebuild institutions capable of managing their country’s affairs, Ambassador Radi said.
The presidential spokesman noted that President Sisi and President Saied also agreed to work together to stop all forms of foreign interference in Libya in order to put the North African state on the right track.
The two leaders also discussed a number of regional issues of common interest, especially the Grand Ethiopia’s Renaissance Dam (GERD).
President Sisi briefed President Saied about developments on this file.
The Tunisian president, for his part, praised the sincere efforts Egypt makes to reach a just and comprehensive deal on the filling and the operation of the dam in its bid to protect its historical water rights, Ambassador Radi said.
Discussion about this post