Egypt's Sisi hails Japanese PM Shinzo Abe as 'patriotic statesman,' wishes him speedy recovery

CAIRO - 29 August 2020: President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi paid his respects to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has resigned due to chronic illness.

“My respect and appreciation to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whom I wish a speedy recovery. A real patriotic statesman who gave much to his country,” Sisi said in a Saturday Facebook post.

“He is also a friend and a supportive partner of Egypt who has contributed greatly to strengthening the distinguished cooperation and extended friendship between Egypt and Japan,” Sisi added.

Shinzo Abe, who suffers from ulcerative colitis, will remain in office until a successor is named. He has been a prime minister since 2012.

The Japanese prime minister visited Egypt in 2015, while Sisi visited japan in 2016, giving a speech before the parliament in Tokyo, and twice in 2019 to attend the G20 summit and the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD). At all these events, the two leaders made agreements cementing the friendly ties.