Egypt and Senegal agreed on Saturday to boost cooperation in fighting terrorism and empowering the national military forces in the region to confront terrorist organizations.
This came during a meeting between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and his Senegalese counterpart Macky Sall at al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo.
Sisi underscored his country’s keenness to bolster ties and consolidate strategic cooperation with Senegal in various fields to establish a sustainable bilateral partnership, said a statement by the Egyptian presidency.
He said Cairo attaches great importance to the efforts aimed at maintaining peace and security and achieving stability in the African continent, including East Africa, the Horn of Africa and the African Sahel region.
The President affirmed Egypt’s willingness to support African efforts to combat terrorism and extremist ideology by providing rehabilitation programs and capacity building through specialized Egyptian agencies and its ancient religious institutions.
He hailed relations with Senegal on the political, economic, security and cultural levels, as well as the growing cooperation between the two countries in the field of capacity building.
This comes in light of Cairo’s belief in the importance of investing in human resources on the continent.
He further underlined the need to work on developing bilateral cooperation projects in the coming period, especially in terms of promoting trade exchange and Egyptian investments in various fields.
The talks touched on the latest regional developments and several issues of common interest, topped by the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) crisis.
Sisi and Sall agreed to enhance joint coordination and consultation to follow up on developments in this regard.
Sisi told a joint press conference that Cairo considers the Nile River a source of cooperation and development and a lifeline for the peoples of the Nile Basin countries.
He underscored the importance of reaching a just, balanced and binding legal agreement that regulates the filling and operation of the dam within an appropriate time frame and without any unilateral measures.
Sisi reiterated his country’s support for Sall during his upcoming African Union presidency.
He expressed confidence in Sall’s wise leadership of the joint African action during this challenging period.
