Sisi holds talks with South Sudanese President in Cairo

CAIRO - 17 January 2019: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi met with South Sudanese counterpart on Thursday at the Heliopolis (Ittihadia) presidential palace in Cairo. President Salva Kiir Mayardit reached the Egyptian capital on Wednesday.

The two presidents would hold a summit-level meeting to review bilateral relations in various fields, and discuss a number of issues of common concern, presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said.

The visit comes as part of the good diplomatic relations between the two countries, which Egypt has obviously been keen on growing for many years. Egypt and Sudan have been exchanging visits in the term of the incumbent Egyptian president starting with a visit by Salva Kiir to Egypt in 2014.

In July, 2011, South Sudan declared independence in line with a January referendum that was the culmination of a 2005 peace deal ending decades of civil war with the north. In the same month, Egypt formally announced recognizing the country, MENA news agency reported.

In May last year, Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry accompanied South Salva Kiir, on behalf of the Egyptian president, in the inauguration session of the meeting of the National Liberation Council of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) in Juba.

"The Egyptian participation comes in the framework of continued efforts to achieve peace and stability in South Sudan, as Egypt has voiced support for Kiir's initiative to establish a committee to facilitate the national dialogue," Ahmed Abu Zeid, Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a statement.

Abu Zeid said that the invitation reflects the deep relations between Egypt and South Sudan.

With the aim of achieving reunification of the party, the Arusha Agreement was signed by three conflicting factions of the SPLM party in January 2015 in Tanzania. Since 2013, the ruling party in South Sudan, SPLM, has witnessed many conflicts and differences amongst its main leaders and ranks.

In October, President Sisi affirmed in a telephone call with the South Sudanese President that Egypt supports establishing peace in South Sudan, within the framework of the peace agreement reached by the South Sudanese parties.

Sisi remarked that Egypt also supports the efforts aimed to realize the aspirations of the South Sudanese people for stability and development.

Presidential spokesperson Bassam Radi said that Sisi stressed Egypt’s keenness to promote the bilateral relations between the two countries and provide technical support for South Sudan.

Radi further remarked that Kiir expressed his appreciation to the president, lauding Egypt’s support for peace and stability in South Sudan, and confirming that his country will continue cooperating with Egypt in different fields.

In September, the two African leaders met at Sisi’s residency in Beijing in the framework of the Forum on China and Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

Sisi reiterated that his country will continue to offer aid and technical assistance to South Sudan, as well as go ahead in mutual projects, Radi said.

Kiir also praised the historic relationship between the two states and Egypt’s support to stability in South Sudan.

On Feb. 20, Sisi received Mayik Aye Deng, minister of presidential affairs in South Sudan and special envoy of President Salva Kiir Mayardit, in Cairo.

Sisi and Deng tackled various recent developments, including the recent political developments in Juba and the exerted efforts to restore order and stability in South Sudan, Radi added.