Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi opened on Thursday the 42nd meeting of the foreign ministers of the Group of 77 and China, which Egypt is chaired in 2018.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly.

El-Sisi reviewed the Egyptian role in backing the group's activities in the 1960s in a way that contributed to enhancing the group's march with regards fostering cooperation among the countries of the South.

During his speech, El-Sisi handed the chairmanship of the group for the year 2019 to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.