Sisi holds several meetings with U.S. congressmen

CAIRO – 5 April 2017: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi visited the U.S. Congress Tuesday where he held several meetings with members of the Senate and the House of Representatives, Presidential spokesman Alaa Youssef said in a statement.

Sisi held talks with House Speaker Paul Ryan, who affirmed the importance of boosting U.S.-Egyptian strategic relations to overcome the major challenges facing the two countries in light of progressive developments in the Middle East and the world in general.

The Egyptian president expressed Cairo's keenness to promote ties with Washington and push them forward within the coming period towards wider prospects at all levels, particularly between Congress and the Egyptian Parliament, Youssef said.

President Sisi also met with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senator Orrin Hatch. The two lawmakers lauded Sisi's role in leading Egypt during such a “difficult stage” over the past few years, and in making achievements to restore security and stability in the country in addition to confronting terrorism and extremist ideology.

The meeting also touched on means of fostering bilateral ties as well as regional and international issues, said the spokesman.

The Egyptian leader also held talks with the House Intelligence Committee and its chairman, Devin Nunes. Sisi reviewed Egypt's role in settling disputes in the Middle East in addition to its efforts to combat terrorism and fight the region's extremist organizations at the political, security, ideological and cultural levels.

Sisi then conferred with House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker along with members of the two committees. The president underscored the importance of pooling all international efforts to adopt an approach that aims at drying up the funding of terrorist organizations and standing up to the spread of foreign fighters in the Arab region.

The Egyptian leader emphasized Cairo's firm stance on preserving unity and supporting the national institutions of each country in the region.

During Tuesday's meetings with the U.S. lawmakers, Sisi asserted the importance of hammering out a just, comprehensive and political settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian issue, noting in this regard the key role that can be played by Washington in reviving the peace process.

Sisi also spoke of the progress achieved in implementing the terms of Egypt's deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), including economic and financial measures which required unprecedented and difficult decisions, according to the statement.

Egypt took a decision in November 2016 to float its currency amid other painful reforms that included levying a value-added tax and cutting fuel subsidies. The move devalued the Egyptian pound by almost 50 percent against most other currencies. 

The Egyptian leader meanwhile pointed to the achievements made by the government with regard to carrying out major economic projects in a short period of time, noting that most of these projects will help achieve comprehensive development in Egypt.

The meetings come as part of Sisi’s visit to Washington at the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump. Sisi arrived in Washington Saturday and met with Trump Monday. 

The last time an Egyptian president visited Washington was in 2009, when former President Hosni Mubarak met with Barack Obama.