Egyptian, German presidents meet on bilateral cooperation, regional tensions

CAIRO, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) — Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and his visiting German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier discussed here on Wednesday how to deepen bilateral cooperation and address regional tensions.
According to a statement from the Egyptian presidency, the two presidents held a joint press conference after closed-door talks, elaborating on the key issues addressed during their meeting.
Noting the significance of Steinmeier’s visit, the first by a German president to Egypt in 25 years, Sisi said at the press conference that his country looks forward to benefiting from Germany’s industrial and technological progress through joint projects.
Steinmeier, meanwhile, said Germany is willing to continue enhancing bilateral cooperation in such areas as investment, energy, immigration, counterterrorism, science, and culture.
The two sides also exchanged views on tensions in the Middle East, particularly developments in the Gaza Strip.
Sisi urged an immediate end to the bloody war in Gaza that has caused a humanitarian catastrophe. The Egyptian president affirmed his country’s rejection of Israel’s use of hunger as a weapon against Palestinians, saying the “hunger weapons” in Gaza “have impacted the credibility of human rights value and constituted a blatant violation that happens in full view of us.”
It is hoped that Europe could put more effort into a Gaza ceasefire deal, he added.
For his part, Steinmeier praised Egypt’s role in dealing with regional tensions and violence. ■