Moment of Truth… Sisi- Trump Summit and The Difficult Time

By: Elham Aboul Fateh

In a difficult time, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi is heading to Washington tomorrow to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House at an American-Egyptian summit. The summit is to be held upon an official invitation from the American president, who is keen to exchange views with El Sisi on regional issues.

It is well known the amount of confidence, respect, credibility and appreciation our president enjoys. I was honored to be among the media delegation which accompnaied the president to the US many times in the past. I saw myself how he was received and greeted there every time, for the Egyptian – American relations is a real partnership based on mutula respect and cooperation. We saw that even before Trump got elected when President El Sisi was visiting the US for the meetings of the UN general assembly in 2016, he met with then republican presidential candidate.

Back then, it was the third time for El Sisi, as president, to visit USA. The first was in September 2014, during which spoke before the UNGA and held a number of meetings to explain the reality of what was happening then in Egypt. In September 2015, there was his second visitto the UNGA.  His fourth visit to the US was in April 2017, where it was his first official visit to the White House, where he met with President Trump.

In May 2017, the third meeting between both leaders took place in Riyadh on the sidelines of the Islamic Summit hosted by Saudi Arabia. The two presidents were keen to meet on the sidelines of the summit, at King Abdul Aziz Center. In the following September, they met again, in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly at its 72nd session, where that was the fifth visit of President El Sisi to the US and the fourth meeting with Trump.

Both leaders met again in September 2018 on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the General Assembly of the United Nations.. All visits were underscoring the strength of Egyptian-American relations and partnership.

This time the visit is different for President El Sisi is heading to the US, while possessing all the elements of strength and success .. He has no demands for special aid.. on the contrary, he goes as a strategic partner of the United States, which recognizes the value of El Sisi and Egypt. This was what the White House included in its announcement of the visit.

It said that the summit will tackle regional and international issues, but mainly boosting the strategic mutual relations. The leaders will also discuss the importance of concerted international efforts to face terrorism and extremism that has threatened the whole world. The summit is to affirm as well the importance of Egypt's role in the region as a major pillar of security and stability, in addition to recognizing the important developmental steps taken  by the Egyptian government recently including economic reform.

President El Sisi goes to America this time and we have acheived great steps in economic reform, as recognized by the United Nations and its institutions and specialized bodies in the field of financing and economic, financial and commercial classification. Also on the political level, Egypt has regained its regional position in the Arab as well as African arenas. It has, exclusively, the Keys of solving crises of the region.

This success and stability and the great national projects that we are about to complete are the key to any Egyptian negotiations. I believe that our president's acceptance of the American invitation is a wise and propoer decision. Going to Washington will create new opportunities under the Egyptian-American strategic partnership and cooperation. Their talks will open chances to solve crises in the war torn Middle East, only resulting in more terrorism that Egypt faces.

From my point of view, this visit is one of the most important visits of the president to the White House. I am sure that President El Sisi has a lot to say to Trump about the situation in the region. I pray God to bless our president, who is keen to face challenges and succeed in every mission he undertakes. The results of this visit is to be observed globally. The visit coincides with the passage of 40 years to the signing of the Camp David agreement, which otherwise Egypt would not have recovered its entire territory. We have lost the most precious part of our land Sinai, a very dear land to the heart of every Egyptian.