Sisi says he, Blinken emphasized Egypt-US partnership’s role in promoting Middle East stability

CAIRO – 27 May 2021: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said he and Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, emphasized the role of the Egypt-US partnership in promoting security and stability across the Middle East.

Sisi’s remarks came following a meeting with Blinken in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, days after the Egyptian president received two phone calls from his US counterpart, Joe Biden, in less than a week.

Blinken’s visit comes as part of a Middle East tour he has embarked on to consolidate the ceasefire in Gaza, brokered by Egypt to end 11 days of Israeli hostilities against the strip.

“Today, I was honored to receive Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State of the United States of America. We consulted on various political, security and regional issues, with an emphasis on the extended strategic partnership relations between Egypt and the United States, and its pivotal role in supporting security and stability in the Middle East region,” Sisi wrote on Facebook.

On Friday, Israel and the Gaza factions started a ceasefire proposed by Egypt after Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire killed 254 people including women and children.

The Gaza factions also fired rockets at Israeli lands in retaliation for the Israeli assaults against Palestinians in Jerusalem.

During their meeting, Sisi and Blinken tackled the updates on the Palestinian cause and ways of reviving the peace process.

The president said recent developments mandate urgent activation of direct negotiations between both sides backed by an effective involvement of the United States.

Sisi added that Egypt is eager to cooperate with the United States on that matter asserting that the solution must be fair and comprehensive so it would preserve the rights of the Palestinian people in accordance with international references.

Both sides agreed on bolstering coordination and consultation on stabilizing the ceasefire and launching reconstruction in Gaza Strip.

They discussed other regional issues, including the situation in Libya and the role of the US to resolve the GERD dispute between Egypt and Sudan on one side and Ethiopia on the other side.

Read more about the meeting between Sisi and Blinken, here.

Read more about Sisi’s first and second phone call with Biden.