Egyptian President and African Union (AU) Chairperson Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi held on Monday numerous bilateral meetings with his African counterparts during the 12th Extraordinary Summit of the AU in Niamey, Niger.
In one of these meetings, Al-Sisi met with Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa. The meeting addressed bilateral relations and the continental and international updates including the situation in Libya. Al-Sisi stressed Egypt’s interest in keeping Libya’s unity and supporting the Libyan National Army (LNA) in combating terrorism.
The two leaders also discussed means of increasing bilateral cooperation in the economic and commercial fields. They expressed interest in the Cairo-Cape Town passage project which is set to link North Africa to its south.
For his part, Al-Sisi hailed the progress in relations between the two countries, as well as the Egyptian chairmanship of the AU, particularly in the economic side and continental integration.
He also praised the Egyptian efforts for launching the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which is expected to duplicate inter-African trade.
Furthermore, the two presidents stressed the importance of boosting political consultation between Cairo and Cape Town on different political and economic issues.
Noteworthy, South Africa is set to the lead the AU in 2020.
Moreover, the president also met with Felix Tshisekedi, the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). During the meeting, Al-Sisi renewed Egypt’s support for the DRC and Egypt’s aspiration to raise the level of political consultation with it.
Al-Sisi expressed Egypt’s appreciation for Tshisekedi’s keenness on boosting relations with Egypt and the DRC’s support for Egypt’s position regarding the Nile waters.
