Egypt’s Sisi Visits Azerbaijan as Part of Asia Tour

Egyptian President Sisi is welcomed at the airport upon his arrival in Baku. (Egyptian presidency)
Egyptian President Sisi is welcomed at the airport upon his arrival in Baku. (Egyptian presidency)
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Egypt’s Sisi Visits Azerbaijan as Part of Asia Tour

Egyptian President Sisi is welcomed at the airport upon his arrival in Baku. (Egyptian presidency)
Egyptian President Sisi is welcomed at the airport upon his arrival in Baku. (Egyptian presidency)

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi arrived in Azerbaijan on Friday as part of a tour of Asia that has so far taken him to India.

Presidency spokesman Bassam Rady said the visit to Baku aims to bolster the unique ties that bind their countries.

Sisi will meet with President Ilham Aliyev to discuss boosting political and economic relations, he added.

They will tackle cooperation and coordination between their countries and regional and international developments.

Local media in Azerbaijan said Sisi’s visit is a strong push forward in bilateral cooperation and an opportunity to exploit untapped potential to deepen cooperation on various levels.

The year 2022 marked 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Egypt and Azerbaijan. Throughout that time, they established advanced cooperation on the political, economic, trade and cultural levels.

The diplomatic ties were formalized on May 27, 1992. Egypt opened its embassy in Baku in April 1993 and Azerbaijan set up its mission in Cairo in January 1994.

Over the years, Egypt and Azerbaijan have signed around 60 cooperation agreements and cooperated in energy, construction, mining and other fields.

As of December 2022, trade exchange between them amounted to 16.1 billion dollars.



Palestinian Health Ministry Says One Dead in Israel West Bank Raid

Demonstrators clash with Palestinian security forces in Nablus in the West Bank (File photo/Reuters)
Demonstrators clash with Palestinian security forces in Nablus in the West Bank (File photo/Reuters)
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Palestinian Health Ministry Says One Dead in Israel West Bank Raid

Demonstrators clash with Palestinian security forces in Nablus in the West Bank (File photo/Reuters)
Demonstrators clash with Palestinian security forces in Nablus in the West Bank (File photo/Reuters)

The health ministry in the occupied West Bank said one person was killed and nine injured in an Israeli raid on a refugee camp, with the Israeli military saying Saturday it had opened fire at "terrorists".

An 18-year-old man, Muhammad Medhat Amin Amer, "was killed by bullets from the (Israeli) occupation in the Balata camp" in the territory's north, the Palestinian health ministry said in a late-night statement, adding that nine people were injured, "four of whom are in critical condition".

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, the raid began on Friday night and triggered violent clashes, AFP reported.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israeli troops entered the camp from the Awarta checkpoint and "deployed snipers on the rooftops of surrounding buildings".

In a statement on Saturday, the Israeli military said that during the "counterterrorism" operation, "terrorists placed explosives in the area in order to harm (military) soldiers, hurled explosives, molotov cocktails, and rocks and shot fireworks at the forces".

"The forces fired toward the terrorists in order to remove the threat. Hits were identified," the statement said.

Violence in the West Bank has intensified since war broke out in the Gaza Strip after Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

Since then, at least 815 Palestinians have been killed in the territory by Israeli troops or settlers, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah.

In the same period, Palestinian attacks in the West Bank have killed at least 25 Israelis, according to official Israeli figures.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since conquering it in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.