Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, discussed yesterday with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt the state of affairs of fraternal bilateral ties, and reviewed a variety of regional and international topics of mutual interest.

President el-Sisi welcomed Sheikh Mohamed, who is paying a brief visit to Cairo, expressing his hope the visit would contribute towards serving the interests of the two countries and enhancing joint cooperation in a wide range of common issues.

Sheikh Mohamed conveyed the regards of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan to President al-Sisi along with his best wishes for progress and success to Egypt and glory, welfare and prosperity to its people.

During the meeting, the parties discussed ways to enhance bilateral ties in various political, economic and developmental fields and to work together to boost them in all domains so as to serve their strategic mutual interests.

The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi emphasised the UAE's support for Egypt in advancing its national orientations and development drive is firm and genuine and springs out of President Khalifa's directives and his keenness to support any efforts that push forward the development and renaissance of Egypt, preserve its security, stability and sovereignty and help realise the aspirations of the Egyptian people for development and decent living.

'The UAE support for Egypt comes within the context of a relationship of solidarity and coalition of forces of the two countries, a relationship that is evolving and is deeply grounded in history and serves the interest of the two countries and their people,' Sheikh Mohamed said during the meeting, which was attended by H.H. Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, and H.H. Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy National Security Advisor.

On his part, the Egyptian President asked Sheikh Mohamed to reciprocate his greetings and good wishes to President Khalifa and his wishes for further progress and prosperity for the UAE and good and welfare for the UAE's people.

President el-Sisi valued the constructive cooperation and solid bilateral ties between the countries and people, expressing appreciation for the UAE for its historic stances towards Egypt and its great support in the sphere of development that serves the Egyptian people.

High on the agenda of discussions were a host of regional issues including combating violence, terrorism and extremism. The two leaders also addressed security challenges faced by the region and the crises that some countries in the region are experiencing, particularly Libya, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the two sides underscored their resolve to expand bilateral cooperation in all spheres and solidify their ties through development projects that serve their interest.

They expressed their support for regional and international efforts aimed at finding political solutions and ensuring security, stability and development in Arab countries and fulfilling the aspirations and needs of their people.

UAE Ambassador to Egypt Mohamed bin Nakhira Al Dhaheri and Undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court Mohammed Mubarak Al Mazrouie attended from the UAE side, while Egyptian Foreign Sameh Shoukry attended from the Egyptian side.

Later, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and his accompanying delegation left Cairo in the afternoon and were seen off by President al-Sisi, Shoukry and a number of top Egyptian officials.

Upon arrival in Cairo, Sheikh Mohamed was welcomed by the Egyptian president, Foreign Minister Shoukry and a group of Egyptian officials.
Source: WAM