(AFP File Photo)
President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met with his Sudanese counterpart Omar Al-Bashir at the Presidential Palace on Saturday to discuss bilateral relations, according to a Presidential statement on Sunday.
Presidents Al-Sisi and Al-Bashir also discussed the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) as well as the situations in Libya, Syria, and Iraq as part of the talks.
The situation in Libya was given special attention with Al-Sisi stressing Egypt’s support for the free-will of the Libyan people and the importance of supporting legitimate institutions, particularly the Libyan National Army.
The presidential statement added: “The summit stresses the depth of relations between the two countries, not only by virtue of geographical proximity but also for the historical, cultural and religious ties between the two peoples.”
The two presidents discussed ways to strengthen economic relations through increased trade between both countries. Egypt occupies fourth place on the list of countries investing in Sudan, with increased investments likely to promote Egypt to second place.
The talks were also used to discuss the GERD project, with both presidents emphasising the Nile River’s importance in developing the Nile basin countries.
Tripartite talks between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt on the GERD ended on Friday with discussions on its potential impacts. They agreed to select a consulting firm to analyse the impact of the dam, as well as a legal firm to follow the financial procedures relating to GERD.
In a joint press conference held after the meeting, Al-Sisi said that the bilateral relations aim to maximise the joint benefit between both countries, to achieve the long aspired economic growth.
The two presidents agreed that the Joint High Committee should be upgraded from ministerial level to presidential level to guarantee its performance.
Al-Sisi said that talks were positive, and pointed out that building relations between Egypt and Sudan required diligence to maintain them. Al-Sisi added that it is a responsibility on all Egyptians, and for the media to “be careful” about its reports.
Al-Bashir stressed that relations between Egypt and Sudan are very strong. He agreed with Al-Sisi by saying that “media plays a very important role that can either be a constructive or destructive role.”
