President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi received Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Wednesday in Cairo, congratulating him on "the role played in reaching consensus between the different factions of the Lebanese society." Hariri's visit is the first to Egypt since he took office in December 2016, and comes one month after a visit by Lebanese President Michel Aoun to Cairo. The meeting was also attended by Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, presidential spokesperson Alaa Youssef said. The two leaders discussed possible cooperation in different fields including health, education and investment, according to Youssef's statement. El-Sisi praised the Lebanese model which he said supports diversity and avoids extremism. Hariri praised Egypt's progress towards stability and economic reform. The two leaders expressed support in fighting terrorism and extremism in the region, the statement further said. El-Sisi also declared Egypt's support for Lebanon in facing the repercussions of the war in Syria. Lebanon has been hosting over more than one million Syrian refugees since the eruption of the Syrian conflict in 2011, according to statistics by UNHCR, the UN's refugee agency.
