Sisi: Egypt Supports Africa's Development, Stability

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi received Sunday the Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki to tackle various issues in the continent, according to Presidency Spokesperson Bassam Rady.

Sisi stressed that “Egypt has not and will not spare any effort to support its African brothers,” adding that Cairo “will always extend its hand for cooperation, construction and development for the sake of all African countries to be strengthened by the free will of their peoples, their security and stability.”

Sisi and Faki tackled Egypt’s vision regarding a number of African issues, in light of the ongoing preparations for holding the next annual African summit.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry attended the meeting.

“President Sisi affirmed that the path of development in Africa begins first and foremost with establishing stability and establishing an integrated infrastructure that forms a basis for development linking the geographical regions of the African continent,” said Rady. 

On his part, Faki stressed that the efforts of the African Union are based mainly on the role of Egypt under the leadership of Sisi and its weight in the African continent which represents the strong pillar of joint African action. 

Moreover, the AU Commission chairperson hailed the Egyptian role in promoting development efforts in Africa, in addition to maintaining security and political stability in the continent. 

Faki lauded Sisi’s “insightful political and development vision which achieved the inspiring Egyptian success story over the past years.”

Rady pointed out that the two leaders discussed developments in a number of political issues on the continental arena, developments in a number of conflicts in the African continent and efforts to settle them politically; most notably the situation in the Horn of Africa and the Libyan file.

“The issue of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) was also discussed within the framework of the tripartite negotiations under the auspices of the African Union,” the spokesman noted. 

Sisi reaffirmed the constants of Egypt's position on the importance of concluding a binding and comprehensive legal agreement between all concerned parties, especially the rules for filling and operating the dam.

Sisi reaffirmed Egypt’s rejection of “any action or a procedure that violates Cairo’s rights in the Nile waters.”

In the meantime, Faki expressed his appreciation for Egypt's efforts within the framework of the negotiation track aimed at reaching a solution to the GERD issue, stressing the importance of continued intensive coordination to resolve the current situation and reach a fair and balanced agreement.