CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Tunisian President Kais Saied agreed to support Libya’s peaceful transition in a Cairo meeting on Saturday.
El-Sisi received the Tunisian leader at the Federal Palace, where an official reception ceremony was held.
The spokesman for the Egyptian presidency said that a single session of talks was held, followed by expanded discussions between delegations from the two countries.
“We confirmed our readiness to provide all forms of support in a way that can manage the transitional phase and hold elections at the end of this year,” El-Sisi said.
He added: “We discussed the developments of the Libyan crisis … we welcomed the formation of the executive authority in Libya.”
El-Sisi urged the importance of ending foreign interference in the crisis-hit country, coupled with an exit of all foreign forces, fighters and militia groups.
He called for steps that guarantee stability, the preservation of Libyan sovereignty and territorial integrity, and welcomed the formation of the new Libyan executive authority.
The Palestine issue was also discussed by the two leaders. “We affirmed the continuation of efforts to support Palestinian efforts as the central issue of the Arab world,” El-Sisi said.
The pair agreed on the importance of a two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, he added.
The Egyptian leader said that cultural cooperation was also an important subject of the meeting, especially addressing the dangers of intellectual extremism facing the Arab world.
As part of the cooperation, the two leaders called on the international community to present a comprehensive approach to address extremism.
El-Sisi and Saied declared that 2021 and 2022 will be “years of Egyptian-Tunisian culture” through the activation of cultural and artistic activities between the countries. “This reflects our common history and existing communication,” El-Sisi said.
He added that there will be a focus on strengthening effective communication channels between the two sides at the economic level, maximizing trade and investment.
Saied praised Egypt’s achievements in past years in the security and development sectors, which led to the “restoration of its effective role at the regional and international levels.”
He said that the change had “positive implications” for joint African and Arab action, including efforts to reach political settlements in the region.
The issue of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam was also discussed. Saied hailed Egyptian efforts to reach a fair and comprehensive agreement on the rules for filling and operating the dam.
