Egypt on Sunday affirmed its full support for Somalia in its efforts to combat terrorism and to achieve security and stability for the Somali people.
In a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, Egypt condemned the terrorist bombing in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, which resulted in dozens of casualties and injuries.
On Saturday, at least 11 people were killed and others were injured in a terrorist attack on a restaurant in Mogadishu, the local police said.
The terrorist group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack.
On Wednesday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met with his Somali counterpart Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Cairo. He affirmed Egypt’s support of the unity and sovereignty of Somalia over its lands, and rejected any interference in its internal affairs.
The meeting touched on various regional and international issues of common interest. The two officials agreed to intensify coordination in the coming period to establish security and stability in the Horn of Africa.
The two presidents had welcomed mutual steps taken by the two countries to deepen bilateral cooperation, including the launch of direct flight between Cairo and Mogadishu, the opening of the Egyptian embassy in the Somali capital, in addition to the signing, during the Somali president's visit to Egypt, of a military cooperation protocol between the two countries.
According to the Egyptian presidency, the Somali president expressed his appreciation for Cairo’s continuous support for his country over the past decades, stressing Somalia's keenness to further boost economic, security and political ties with Egypt in the coming period.
He also expressed appreciation for the role of various Egyptian authorities in building the capacities of Somali cadres in various fields.
In January, Egypt had opposed an initial agreement in which Somaliland agreed to lease 20 kilometers of its coastline to landlocked Ethiopia for 50 years in return for promises to recognize its independence.
At the time, Cairo labeled the agreement as a violation of international law and a threat to Somalia's territorial integrity.
