Egypt, UK to Boost Bilateral Security, Intelligence Cooperation

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi receives Chief of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) Richard Moore. (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi receives Chief of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) Richard Moore. (Egyptian Presidency)
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Egypt, UK to Boost Bilateral Security, Intelligence Cooperation

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi receives Chief of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) Richard Moore. (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi receives Chief of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) Richard Moore. (Egyptian Presidency)

Egypt's President received on Monday Chief of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) Richard Moore during which Abdul Fattah al-Sisi stressed the importance of boosting bilateral cooperation with the UK in various fields, primarily security and intelligence.

The meeting was also attended by Head of the Egyptian General Intelligence Services Abbas Kamel and the British Ambassador in Cairo.

Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said that the meeting discussed ways to enhance bilateral security and intelligence cooperation on various related issues. Radi added that after welcoming Moore, Sisi asked him to convey greetings to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and stressed that Egypt has placed great importance on bilateral cooperation in various fields.

As extremism continues to spread regionally and globally, Sisi stressed that it is imperative that all countries unite to confront it. He recommended implementing a comprehensive approach that includes isolating extremist ideological mindset.

The president added that values such as moderation and dialogue must be upheld in parallel with strengthening and supporting development efforts and restoring the institutions in those countries suffering from crises in the region.

Both Sisi and Moore exchanged views on updates related to several regional issues of common interest. The meeting addressed tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean region, as well as the crisis in Libya.

Sisi briefed the UK official on Egypt’s vision regarding the Libyan crisis, stressing support to political solutions, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the need to abide by the ceasefire.

Moore conveyed to Sisi greetings from the British PM, saying his country is proud of its strong ties with Cairo.

He further praised Sisi’s efforts to consolidate regional security and stability, which has assured Egypt’s role as a center of stability within the region as a whole, especially in combating terrorism and illegal immigration.



Trump Taps Scott Bessent for Treasury

(FILES) Scott Bessent, head of Key Square Group and former chief investment officer of Soros Fund Management, attends the second day of the annual Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference, July 12, 2017 in Sun Valley, Idaho.(Photo by Drew ANGERER / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
(FILES) Scott Bessent, head of Key Square Group and former chief investment officer of Soros Fund Management, attends the second day of the annual Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference, July 12, 2017 in Sun Valley, Idaho.(Photo by Drew ANGERER / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
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Trump Taps Scott Bessent for Treasury

(FILES) Scott Bessent, head of Key Square Group and former chief investment officer of Soros Fund Management, attends the second day of the annual Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference, July 12, 2017 in Sun Valley, Idaho.(Photo by Drew ANGERER / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
(FILES) Scott Bessent, head of Key Square Group and former chief investment officer of Soros Fund Management, attends the second day of the annual Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference, July 12, 2017 in Sun Valley, Idaho.(Photo by Drew ANGERER / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)

President-elect Donald Trump on Friday said he will nominate prominent investor Scott Bessent as US Treasury secretary, a key cabinet position with vast influence over economic, regulatory and international affairs.

"I am most pleased to nominate Scott Bessent to serve as the 79th Secretary of the Treasury of the United States," Trump said in a statement released on Truth Social. "Scott is widely respected as one of the world's foremost international investors and geopolitical and economic strategists."

Wall Street has been closely watching who Trump will pick, especially given his plans to remake global trade through tariffs and extend and potentially expand the raft of tax cuts enacted during his first term, Reuters reported
The choice came after days of deliberations by Trump as he sorted through a shifting list of candidates. Bessent spent day after day at Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Florida providing economic advice, sources said, a proximity to the president-elect that may have helped him prevail.
Other names that had been floated included Apollo Global Management Chief Executive Marc Rowan and former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh. Investor John Paulson had also been a leading candidate, but dropped out, while Wall Street veteran Howard Lutnick, another contender, was appointed as head of the Commerce Department.
Bessent, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, has advocated for tax reform and deregulation, particularly to spur more bank lending and energy production, as noted in a recent opinion piece he wrote for The Wall Street Journal.
The market's surge after Trump's election victory, he wrote, signaled investor expectations of "higher growth, lower volatility and inflation, and a revitalized economy for all Americans."
"Bessent has been on the side of less aggressive tariffs," said Oxford Economics' Ryan Sweet, adding that picking him makes the steep tariffs Trump proposed on the campaign trail less likely.
Bessent follows other financial luminaries who have taken the job, including former Goldman Sachs executives Robert Rubin, Hank Paulson and Steven Mnuchin, Trump's first Treasury chief. Janet Yellen, the current secretary and first woman in the job, previously chaired the Federal Reserve and White House Council of Economic Advisers.
Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina, Bessent's home state, said in a statement: "President Trump's economic agenda is in good hands with Scott Bessent. I look forward to working closely with Scott and President Trump to lower inflation and create the golden age of prosperity for the American people."