Observers stressed the importance of the meeting held between Iraqi President Barham Salih and Egyptian President Abd al-Fatah al-Sisi on the sidelines of the Arab-European summit in Egypt.
President Salih lauded the solid and historic brotherly bonds between Egypt and Iraq and expressed his appreciation for Egypt’s efforts to support Iraq across all levels, according to Egyptian reports.
He asserted Iraq’s commitment to strengthening frameworks of cooperation with Egypt, further promoting relations toward broader prospects and benefiting from Egyptian expertise in various areas in the coming period.
The Iraqi president valued Egypt’s key role in enhancing the mechanisms of joint Arab action in the face of the current crises and challenges in the region. He considered it a model to be emulated in preserving stability and improving the developmental, economic and social situations in the Arab world.
The two presidents exchanged views on a number of Arab and
regional issues of mutual interest. They agreed on the need to hold intensive
coordination to counter the challenges facing the region and to realize the
aspirations of its peoples for peace and stability.
For his part, Egypt's Sisi once again congratulated Salih on
assuming his post last October, following elections that were held in a democratic
and transparent atmosphere.
He added that the elections reflected the belief of all segments of the Iraqi people in the importance of completing all milestones of the country’s political process, so as to fulfill the ambition and aspirations of the Iraqi people for security, stability and prosperity in their future.
Sisi confirmed that he values the profound and firm Egyptian-Iraqi relations, which are reinforced by affinity as well as social interaction between the two peoples.
He reiterated Egypt’s commitment to promoting frameworks of cooperation toward new and diverse prospects in the various political, economic, trade and cultural areas according to the needs of the Iraqi people, particularly reconstruction efforts in Iraq.
Sisi emphasized the fundamentals of Egypt’s foreign policy on Iraq, namely supporting the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq. He underscored Egypt’s confidence in the ability of the Iraqi national institutions to overcome all impediments and to form a government that represents the entire spectrum of the Iraqi people and reflects Iraq’s national identity.
This will contribute to focusing attention on improving the living conditions of the Iraqi citizens and on preserving Iraq’s security and stability to prevent the re-emergence of terrorist organizations.