Egypt: President El-Sisi Holds Talks with President of Azerbaijan Aliyev at the Presidential Palace in Baku

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Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi held talks with President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, at the Zuğulba Presidential Palace in Baku, on the second day of his official visit to Azerbaijan. An official reception ceremony was held for President El-Sisi.

The Spokesman for the Presidency said President El-Sisi commenced the meeting by extending his heartfelt condolences and profound sympathy, on behalf of the Egyptian people, to the victims of the shooting at the Azerbaijani Embassy in Tehran. He wished a speedy recovery for the injured and expressed solidarity with Azerbaijan in this tragic incident, which reaffirmed the importance of rejecting extremism, violence and terrorism.

President Aliyev extended his gratitude to the President for this kind gesture and welcomed him as a dear guest in Azerbaijan. He expressed his country’s appreciation of Egypt’s leadership and people, commending the close relations between Egypt and Azerbaijan. President Aliyev affirmed  his country’s interest to further strengthen bilateral relations and step-up cooperation and coordination between the two countries at all levels, given Egypt’s role as a cornerstone for stability, security and peace in the Middle East and Africa.

President El-Sisi conveyed his sincere appreciation to President Aliyev for his invitation to visit Azerbaijan and for the warm reception and hospitality, lauding the firm and longstanding relations between Egypt and Azerbaijan. This was particularly evident during the current visit by President El-Sisi, who is the first Egyptian President to visit Baku. This visit demonstrated a sincere desire and will to foster closer bilateral relations, explore cooperation in various areas and promote political cooperation and consultation between the two countries.

The meeting discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations at various levels. President Aliyev lauded the path of economic reforms in Egypt, which was conducive to the remarkable and continuous improvement in the indicators of the Egyptian economy. The two sides stressed the importance of building on the profound, friendly and historical relations between Egypt and Azerbaijan, at both the official and popular levels, to enhance cooperation in areas of common interest, so as to achieve significant progress in bilateral cooperation and political dialogue. This aims at realizing the mutual interests of the two sides and at building on the rapprochement between the two countries over the past years.

The two Presidents stressed the importance of promoting trade and strengthening the economic partnerships between the two countries’ private sectors through the formation of a joint business council. They also discussed boosting cooperation between the two sides in a number of sectors, given the two countries’ enormous potential and the numerous opportunities open for cooperation, particularly in new and renewable energy and natural gas. This shall come in light of Egypt’s endeavor to become a regional energy hub. They also agreed on the need to step-up cooperation in other areas such as construction, infrastructure, transport, pharmaceutical industries, tourism and culture.

The talks also touched on developments in regional and international issues of common concern. The Azerbaijani President lauded Egypt’s positive role in efforts towards reaching political settlements to all crises in its regional milieu.

The two countries’ views were aligned regarding the importance of supporting efforts to reach a political settlement in Syria, rebuild the country, eliminate terrorist groups, and support its state institutions. This shall help preserve the territorial integrity of Syria, fulfill  the legitimate aspirations of its people, and end their suffering. As to the developments in Libya, President El-Sisi outlined Egypt's vision for a settlement in Libya and its efforts to this end so as to support the political, constitutional and economic tracks.

The meeting also discussed the repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis at the international level. The two Presidents also exchanged views on developments in the Palestinian cause.

Efforts to combat terrorism and extremist ideology were also discussed, in light of the real threat these phenomena pose to efforts to achieve development in the region and the world. President El-Sisi stressed the need for concerted efforts by the international community to eliminate this scourge at all levels, particularly financing terrorist groups and providing them with weapons and terrorist elements. President Aliyev praised Egypt's comprehensive approach for the fight  against terrorism, by addressing the root causes of the problem. This includes supporting economic and social development and combating extremist ideology that leads  to terrorism.

The President and the Azerbaijani President witnessed the signing of a number of joint memoranda of understanding between the relevant government authorities in the two countries for cooperation in the areas of culture and water resources, and between the Egyptian Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Azerbaijani Ministry of Economy. The two Presidents later held a joint press conference.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency, The Arab Republic of Egypt.