President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met with Pakistani ground forces chief of staff Raheel Sharif and the Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday, according to a statement released by the presidency.
Sharif is currently leading a military delegation in a two-day visit to Cairo.
During the meeting, Al-Sisi highlighted the importance of merging forces and sharing expertise in the fight against terrorism through a comprehensive strategy.
Sharif also met with Defence Minister Sedki Sobhi and Army Chief of Staff Mahmoud Hegazy prior to Al-Sisi’s meeting.
Both officials acknowledged the diplomatic ties between both countries and their hopes of increasing military cooperation, security developments, and challenges in the region.
According to the Pakistani army spokesperson, Egyptian leaders expressed their willingness to learn from Pakistan about dealing with terrorism and the elimination of landmines.
Egypt’s ambassador to Pakistan Sherif Shaheen told state-run newspaper Al-Ahram last December that Egypt showed interest on purchasing JF-17 Thunder aircrafts from Pakistan, in a meeting between Shaheen and Pakistani minister of defence production Rana Tanveer Hussien.
In March 2015, Pakistan and Egypt joined the Saudi Arabia-led military coalition against Houthi militants in Yemen with air and naval forces. Both countries had also expressed their readiness to contribute ground troops to the campaign.
Other Arab countries joined the Saudi Arabian air force in launching air strikes against Houthis, including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Jordan.
Both Egypt and Pakistan are also part of the Saudi Arabia-formed Islamic Military Alliance, along with at least 30 other Muslim countries. Through this alliance, countries are expected to work together to target terrorist organisations, not just Islamic State, in all countries, including Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt, and Afghanistan.
