President Abdel Fattah El Sisi met during the first day of his visit to Washington the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at his residence in Blair House.

Sisi who began a three-day trip to Washington on Monday 8/4/2019, asserted Egypt’s keenness on consolidating and deepening its longstanding strategic partnership with the US which he described as a cornerstone of maintaining Middle East security and stability, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Radi said.

He also said that he is looking forward to strengthening coordination and consultation with the US during the coming period on different political and security files of mutual concern, Radi pointed out.

According to him, Pompeo welcomed Sisi’s visit stressing confidence that his talks with US President Donald Trump will give a positive and constructive push to bilateral relations, especially in light of the US administration’s commitment to shoring up cooperation with Egypt in various areas.

The US top diplomat lauded and voiced his country’s support for president Sisi’s efforts to fight terrorism and realize comprehensive and sustainable development in Egypt and the whole region, the spokesman said.

He also said that the meeting took up a number of regional files including the latest developments in Libya, Syria and Yemen, noting that Sisi asserted to Pompeo that the only solution for the problems in these countries is the political one that preserves their territorial unity and maintains their national institutions. The president, he added, called for helping the conflict-hit Arab countries in their fight against terrorist groups to prevent them from moving to other parts of the region. 

Radi pointed out that Pompeo praised all efforts that are being exerted by Egypt to resolve regional crises and expressed Washington’s keenness on intensifying coordination with Cairo over Middle East issues given Egypt’s important political weight in the region.

The two sides reviewed the current Palestinian conditions and means of reviving the long stymied Middle East peace process, Radi said, noting that Pompeo expressed appreciation of Egypt’s efforts to contain the explosive situation in the Gaza Strip and prevent it from further escalation, saying he looks forward to continuing consultations between both sides regarding that matter in particular.

For his part, President Sisi reiterated Egypt’s firm stance on the need to reach a just and overall solution for the problem in a way that guarantees the rights of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state in line with international terms of reference.

MENA