Top issues discussed between Sisi, CENTCOM commander on Sunday

CAIRO – 11 September 2017: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi met on Sunday with the commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), Joseph L. Votel, to discuss bilateral military cooperation and international counterterrorism efforts.

The presidency spokesperson, Alaa Yousif, said in a press statement on Monday that Sisi and Votel discussed the following top issues:

 Both Sisi and Votel confirmed the importance of Egyptian-U.S. military relations, which represent a major aspect to ongoing cooperation between the two countries.

 They welcomed the launching of the joint Egyptian-U.S. military trainings “Bright Star” that reflect the deep relations between the two countries especially in light of the current challenges in the region.

 Sisi illustrated Egypt’s efforts to combat terrorism by adopting a comprehensive strategy to uproot terrorism taking into consideration the cultural, social and economic dimensions in parallel with the military and security efforts.

 Cooperation and joint actions to counter terrorism and to address countries and organizations that support and finance terrorism.

 The U.S. CENTCOM praised the pivotal role that Egypt plays in the region. He also stressed that

 The meeting touched on the latest developments pertaining to the region's crises. Both Sisi and Votel “underscored the need to continue to work on finding political
solutions to the various crises, maintaining national state institutions in countries mired by conflict and preserving these countries' sovereignty, territorial integrity and people's resources so as to restore stability in the region and offer a better future for its peoples,” according to the presidency spokesperson statement.

Votel’s visit coincides with the U.S.-Egyptian military “Bright Star 2017” training that launched on Sunday and is set to continue until September 20 at the Mohamed Naguib military base in the northern military zone.

The Mohamed Naguib military base was specifically chosen for the long-awaited event because of its huge capacity; this capacity makes it an excellent choice for accommodating the large number of troops that are taking part in the exercise. The base is also ideal because it is equipped with the latest technological weaponry that will be used during the drills.

These military trainings come within the framework of the Egyptian armed forces’ training plan, which aims to exchange training experiences and establish military cooperation relations with other countries.

The “Bright Star” military exercises, which dates back to 1980, is marked to be the first since the ouster of former President Muhammed Hosni Mubarak following a short hiatus in 2014 ordered by the former American President Barack Obama.