Egypt, Tajikistan Agree to Boost Cooperation, Combat Terrorism

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon (Egyptian Presidency)
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Egypt, Tajikistan Agree to Boost Cooperation, Combat Terrorism

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon (Egyptian Presidency)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon agreed to enhance security cooperation, especially in fighting terrorism.

This came during their meeting at the al-Ittihadiya Palace on Thursday.

During the meeting, the two leaders discussed cooperation in training and technical support programs that Egypt provides to Tajik cadres.

Sisi stressed Egypt's interest in developing bilateral relations and exchanging experience with Tajikistan in various fields to achieve the common interest of both countries, and the Tajik President expressed his appreciation for the warm reception and hospitality.

He stressed his country's pride in the distinguished bilateral relations with Egypt and Tajikistan's interest in benefiting from the mega-national projects and the pioneering development experience that Egypt is witnessing, which enhances its position as a pillar of security and stability at the regional level.

Egyptian Presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said the presidents discussed recent regional and international developments, especially in Ukraine and Afghanistan.

They addressed ways to enhance cooperation and coordination in security and intelligence and the exchange of information and expertise, especially concerning combating terrorism, extremist ideology, and organized crime.

After the talks, the Tajik President invited Sisi to visit his country, which the latter welcomed.

The two presidents witnessed the signing ceremony of several memoranda of understanding (MoU) and cooperation agreements between the two countries in agriculture, youth and sports, and higher education.

The Governorate of South Sinai and the Khatlon region in Tajikistan signed an agreement of friendship and cooperation, and the National Library and Archives and the National Library of Tajikistan signed an MoU.

During a joint press conference, Sisi announced that he agreed with Rahmon to step up coordination in security and concerning sharing information and expertise between the two countries to combat terrorism and organized crime as a global menace that threatens most world countries.

"We have also agreed to examine the possibility of enhancing cooperation between the two countries in the fields of irrigation development and concerning making greater use of water resources, hydropower, mining, agriculture, tourism, health, and pharmaceutical manufacturing," said the President.

Sisi expressed his appreciation for the commitment of the Tajik President to cultivate closer bilateral cooperation between the two countries across an array of fields.

"I would also like to confirm that we value the profound relations between Egypt and Tajikistan, which have been growing over the past years, and underscore the importance of working toward activating the ongoing frameworks of cooperation to be commensurate with the two countries' capabilities and potential, to achieve the interests of the two peoples."

The Egyptian leader announced that they discussed ways to promote consultation between the two countries' foreign ministries and agreed to follow up on implementing the positive results of the second session of the Joint Committee on Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation, which was held in Cairo in November 2019.

They also discussed Egypt's hosting and presidency of the 27th session of the UN Climate Change Conference in November 2022 (UNFCCC COP 27).

"We stressed our keenness to mobilize the efforts of the international community to make it a success to make a real breakthrough in global climate action," said Sisi.

The Tajik President said the agreements signed would provide a basis for boosting relations between the two countries in all fields.

He indicated that the meeting addressed important issues of bilateral and multilateral relations between Egypt and Tajikistan.



Toll in Syria Opposition-army Fighting Rises to 242

Fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ride in military vehicles in the eastern outskirts of the town of Atarib, in Syria's northern province of Aleppo on November 27, 2024, during clashes with the Syrian army. (Photo by Abdulaziz KETAZ / AFP)
Fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ride in military vehicles in the eastern outskirts of the town of Atarib, in Syria's northern province of Aleppo on November 27, 2024, during clashes with the Syrian army. (Photo by Abdulaziz KETAZ / AFP)
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Toll in Syria Opposition-army Fighting Rises to 242

Fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ride in military vehicles in the eastern outskirts of the town of Atarib, in Syria's northern province of Aleppo on November 27, 2024, during clashes with the Syrian army. (Photo by Abdulaziz KETAZ / AFP)
Fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ride in military vehicles in the eastern outskirts of the town of Atarib, in Syria's northern province of Aleppo on November 27, 2024, during clashes with the Syrian army. (Photo by Abdulaziz KETAZ / AFP)

More than 240 people, mostly combatants, were killed as intense fighting approached Syria's northern Aleppo city after the opposition launched a major offensive on government-held areas this week, a monitor said Friday.
On Wednesday, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied Turkish-backed factions launched an attack on government-held areas in the northwest, triggering the fiercest fighting since 2020, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Observatory, said fighting reached two kilometers (1.2 miles) from the main northern city of Aleppo, where the group’s artillery shelling on student housing killed four civilians, according to state media.
"The combatants' death toll in the ongoing... operation in the Idlib and Aleppo countrysides has risen to 218," since Wednesday, said the British-based monitor with a network of sources inside Syria.
In addition to the fighters, it said 24 civilians were killed.
Syrian ally Russia launched air strikes that killed 19 civilians on Thursday, while another civilian had been killed in Syrian army shelling a day earlier, said the Observatory which on Thursday had reported an overall toll of about 200 dead, including the civilians.