Sisi expresses hope to develop bilateral cooperation with Brunei

CAIRO - 5 August 2019: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi expressed his hope to develop bilateral cooperation with Brunei in various fields, namely the religious, touristic, cultural and economic fields.

Additionally, the president expressed his keenness on attracting more investment from Brunei, taking advantage of the promising investment opportunities currently available in Egypt in various sectors.

Sisi also hopes to enhance political coordination and consultation on various regional issues and issues of common concern, especially the fight against terrorism and extremist thought.

According to a statement issued by presidential spokesperson Bassam Rady, Sisi stressed that his majesty's current visit represents a strong impetus for these relations in light of the great understanding between Egypt and Brunei on various regional and international issues.

For his part, Sultan Hassan Bolkiah stressed the depth of the relations between the two countries and the two friendly peoples, praising the achievements Egypt has witnessed in the past period in various fields, especially in combating terrorism, economic reform and the major national projects being implemented with the aim of achieving comprehensive development.

"Egypt's pivotal and active role in the Arab and Muslim worlds is the role that Brunei is counting on for stability and security to prevail in the Middle East and the Islamic world as a whole," he added.

The statement reported that the talks tackled ways to enhance bilateral cooperation between the two countries in a number of fields in line with the potential of the two countries, especially in terms of cultural and religious cooperation.

President Sisi reviewed Egypt's efforts over the past years to combat and undermine extremist ideology and the role of religious institutions in Egypt to correct the religious discourse, pointing out Egypt's keenness to continue the role of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif in Brunei as a beacon to spread the noble values of Islam.

Bolkiah stressed the importance of the Egyptian role in confronting the rhetoric of extremism and hatred.He said that Al-Azhar has a high status among the people of the Sultanate of Brunei because of its broad cultural and religious influence and its ability to spread the true image of Islam.

The meeting also reviewed the latest developments in the Middle East and the Islamic world as well as the importance of continuing intensive coordination and pushing forward joint efforts to solve the regional crises.