Sisi stresses 'strong bond' with Austria during phone call with Chancellor Kurz

CAIRO - 15 September 2018: Egypt's President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi received a phone call on Friday from Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, during which they discussed bilateral relations and a number of issues of common interest, said presidential spokesperson Bassem Rady in a statement.

The Egyptian president stressed "strong bond" between Cairo and Vienna, expressing his desire to enhance cooperation between the two countries in the upcoming period, especially in the fields of investment and trade, for the benefit of both countries and peoples, according to Rady.

He added that Sisi clarified Egypt's efforts in the field of combating terrorism and achieving security and stability, as well as controlling the land and sea borders, which resulted in preventing illegal immigration to Europe from the Egyptian coasts since September 2016.

Sisi also noted that Egypt currently hosts millions of refugees from multiple nationalities, stressing that they live naturally among the Egyptian people.

The two leaders also discussed coordination on regional and international issues as well as counterterrorism efforts.

For his part, Kurz expressed his country's desire to develop relations with Egypt at all levels, praising Egypt's recent achievements in the field of development and infrastructure projects, as well as the firm steps taken in implementing the economic reform program.

He also applauded Egypt's efforts in combating terrorism and achieving stability and security, particularly countering illegal migration to Europe. He stressed that Austria, as the current president of the European Union, regards Egypt as a pivotal partner, due to its effective role in stabilizing the Middle East and spreading peace in the region.