Trump praises Sisi’s economic reform program in NY meeting

CAIRO – 22 September 2017: U.S. President Donald Trump commended President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi’s economic reform program during a bilateral meeting in New York, said a White House statement Friday.

“The President emphasized that Egypt is a lynchpin of stability in the region and pushed for greater bilateral coordination to ensure peace and security,” read the statement.

On Thursday, Sisi and Trump met on the sidelines of the 72nd U.N. General Assembly session and “highlighted the close relationship between their two countries and praised recent efforts to strengthen regional security.”

Both leaders underscored the importance of bilateral security cooperation. The Arab rift was one of the topics discussed during their meeting, according to the statement.

U.S. President Donald Trump praised Egyptian President Abel Fatah al-Sisi’s efforts in reviving the Middle East peace process between the Palestinian and Israeli peoples, Egypt’s presidential spokesperson Alaa Youssef said in a statement early Thursday.

During his meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 72) late Wednesday, President Sisi discussed Egypt's efforts to achieve inter-Palestinian reconciliation as an essential preliminary step to resume negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, Youssef said.

President Sisi expressed Egypt’s aspiration for further coordination and consultation with the U.S. on various issues in the region, particularly counterterrorism, “which poses a great threat to the stability of the region and the world.” He also emphasized that putting an end to funding and harboring terrorists is a must.