Trump praises Sisi, says relations "never been stronger"

CAIRO - 25 September 2018: Amid his high-level meetings as part of the week-long United Nations General Assembly 73rd meeting in New York, Egypt's President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi on Monday met with U.S. President Donald Trump for the fourth time since Trump came to power.

During the meeting, Trump welcomed the Egyptian president, saying "It’s great honor to be with President Sisi, our great friend of Egypt."

"We have very special things happening, as our relationship has never been stronger.
We’re working with Egypt on many different fronts, including military, trade, and whatever else we can work on. It’s an honor to be with you again," Trump said.

Sisi expressed his pleasure to meet Trump, saying "Being here and having this meeting really states the magnitude of Egyptian and American relationship."

"I commend you for all the accomplishments that have been achieved in the United States within less than two years," Sisi said. He added that Egypt has "a long stable relationship {with the U.S.} for 40 years now, and during President Trump’s rule, Egypt has received more support."



Trump also congratulated the Egyptian leader for "the outstanding job with respect to terrorism, saying "you’re working very hard on that. It’s not easy. You’re at the forefront but you’ve done an outstanding job."

Sisi asserted that Egypt "will be able to eliminate terrorism" with the help of the United States. He pointed out that fighting terrorism "has been an obligation that {Trump} made very clear since taking office and during presidential campaign," stressing that Egypt "supports you in this."

Trump noted that the U.S. "has done very well" in combating terrorism in the Middle East, pointing out that they "whipped out ISIS in Syria."

"You’ve been very outstanding and we’ll work with you," Trump said to Sisi.

Meanwhile, Trump also held a series of bilateral meetings with leaders from South Korea and France where he discussed the U.S. role in the world.

Earlier Monday, Sisi delivered a brief address at the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit, which is held on the sidelines of the UNGA in New York. Sisi said that Mandela's life represented the hope of African people for dignity and independence, saying other African icons also played the same role including late Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser.

"Today's gathering provides a great opportunity to provide our children with better education and to reduce the rate of unemployment among the youth," Sisi said.

He also stressed the importance of protecting the youth against the danger of extremism and terrorism.

Sisi to meet Trump for fifth time in 2 years

CAIRO - 24 September 2018: Once more, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi will meet with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump in New York, which is considered their fifth encounter within only 24 months.