Egypt: President El-Sisi Receives Iraqi Prime Minister

Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani, who is on an official visit to Egypt with a high-level Iraqi delegation that includes the deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, minister of trade, and several senior Iraqi officials. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly and the ministers of foreign affairs, housing, investment and petroleum.

The Spokesman for the Presidency said the two sides expressed satisfaction with the distinct level of relations that the two countries have reached, based on the significant historical and sincere fraternity and mutual support between the two countries and their peoples. President El-Sisi underscored Egypt’s full support for Iraq’s unity, sovereignty,and territorial integrity, and as well as its support for efforts towards achieving stability, security, and development, and strengthening ties between Iraq and Arab surroundings.

The two leaders agreed that the current circumstances require intensified joint Arab action, bilaterally and collectively, noting in this regard the tripartite cooperation among Egypt, Iraq and Jordan, and affirming continuing to work to make their projects succeed and achieve their objectives to serve as a model for Arab cooperation and regional integration.

Both sides also discussed bilateral cooperation, especially in increasing mutual and common investments, as well as cooperation in the fields of infrastructure, urban development, tourism, energy, transport, and industry with the aim of making the best use of both countries’ resources and thus achieving the interests of the two peoples. The Iraqi prime minister commended Egypt’s extensive experience and remarkable successes in those areas.

The two sides exchanged views on ways to help the region overcome the serious crises it is facing, which threaten its stability and capabilities. Views agreed on the need for calm and regional de-escalation. The two leaders stressed the need for the international community to exert intensive pressure to complete the calm and ceasefire agreement in Gaza, stressing the need to end the humanitarian plight in the Strip and stop the ongoing Israeli escalation in the West Bank. This is in addition to the need to launch a serious political track that guarantees the Palestinian people their legitimate and just right to an independent state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, being the sustainable way to establish peace, security and development in the region.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.