Sisi, Merkel Tackle GERD, Libya, Coronavirus

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel tackled a number of issues in a phone conversation on Thursday, according to the Presidential Spokesperson Ambassador Bassam Rady.

“Today, President Sisi received a phone call from the German Chancellor,” Rady said.

He added that the president affirmed Egypt’s government and people’s solidarity with the friendly government and people of Germany regarding the new coronavirus crisis, expressing his aspiration for exchanging experiences and coordination between health care providers in the two countries in the framework of international efforts to contain the spread of the virus.

Merkel expressed appreciation for the Egyptian position in support of Germany in these circumstances, which reflects the strength of bilateral relations between the two sides, noting the importance of strengthening joint cooperation between the concerned authorities of the two countries in the framework of international efforts to combat the new coronavirus, known as COVID-19.

The Egyptian spokesman stated that the conversation witnessed a discussion of a number of topics related to bilateral cooperation frameworks between the two countries, in addition to exchanging views and opinions on some regional files of common interest, most importantly the follow-up of the developments of the Libyan issue in the light of the results of the Berlin Conference.

Sisi and Merkel tackled also the latest developments of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam file (GERD), within the framework of the negotiations reached in Washington, the United States, that Egypt signed with initials.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared coronavirus a global pandemic as the new virus has rapidly spread to more than 121,000 people from Asia to the Middle East, Europe, and the United States.

More cases of the virus, which causes respiratory disease COVID-19, continue to emerge, with outbreaks in South Korea, Italy, and Iran.

Earlier, President Sisi extended his warm condolences to Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte over the victims of coronavirus in Italy, according to a statement by Rady.