Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stressed the importance of strategic relations between his country and the United States, especially military cooperation, which he considered “essential to confront the current challenges that threaten the security and stability of the whole region.”
Sisi met on Tuesday with General Kenneth McKenzie Jr., the commander of the United States Central Command, and a delegation of US army officials, the Egyptian presidency said.
In a statement, Ambassador Bassam Radi, the presidential spokesman, said Sisi emphasized the need to maintain military cooperation between Washington and Cairo, stressing that it was necessary to overcome challenges facing the Middle East.
McKenzie, for his part, expressed his appreciation for Egypt’s efforts in fighting terrorism and its role in maintaining peace and security in the region.
Radi added that the officials discussed the results of the last meeting of the bilateral Military Cooperation Committee in Washington held in March, which involved discussions over a variety of strategic affairs, including combating terrorism, border and maritime security and security cooperation.
During a separate meeting with the US senior official, Egyptian Defense Minister Mohamed Zaki stressed that the war on terrorism in the region required concerted efforts by the international community to uproot terrorist organizations and work on drying up their funding sources at all levels.
