Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi discussed with US President Donald Trump the latest updates in the Middle East and joint efforts to restore regional stability.
In a phone call on Tuesday, Al-Sisi and Trump addressed joint endeavours to reach political solutions for ongoing crises, especially in Libya, Syria, and Yemen.
Trump praised Egypt’s efforts in maintaining stability and security in the region, according to the Presidency statement.
Both leaders also exchanged views over enhancing corporations and issues of common interests.
Al-Sisi and Trump stressed the need to “to further strengthen cooperation across various fields, notably military cooperation, combating terrorism and extremist ideology, given the common challenges and the strategic relations the two countries share,” the statement added.
Al-Sisi reviewed the country’s efforts in countering terrorism, emphasising the significance of abounding joint coordination and cooperation with the US to support these efforts.
Earlier on Monday, Trump said that he gave the US military four months to withdraw the 2,000 US troops from Syria, The New York Times cited US officials.
“We’re slowly sending our troops back home to be with their families, while at the same time fighting ISIS remnants,” Trump tweeted on Monday.
On 19 December, Trump abruptly ordered an immediate withdrawal of 2,000 US troops from Syria, noting that the Islamic State has already been “defeated”. The move was criticised by the Republicans who view the decision as a “huge mistake.”
Separately, the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash, asserted in a serious of tweets that the diplomatic standoff with Qatar will likely continue in 2019.
Gargash emphasised that the Arab cornerstones in Cairo and Riyadh will be strengthened against Iranian and Turkish ones in the region. He added that the UAE will be abiding by its efforts in supporting its brotherly countries and maintaining stability in the region.
On the Yemeni civil war, Gargash said that Saudi and the UAE led coalition “will assume a better position” in 2019, predicting the Yemeni crisis will witness a relief.
