Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi arrived in Jordan Tuesday afternoon to attend this year's Arab League summit, which will see the attendance of a much larger number of Arab leaders than last year's gathering. Taking part in the Arab League's 28th session, scheduled to take place on Wednesday, is part of Egypt's "continued efforts to boost mutual Arab cooperation in a way that protects Arab national security in the face of the current troubles in the region," a statement by El-Sisi's office said on Tuesday. Arab leaders are set to discuss counter-terrorism cooperation as well as economic and social collaboration, the statement by presidential spokesman Alaa Youssef added. The spokesman added that the summit will see the announcement of the 'Declaration of Amman,' which will outline joint Arab cooperation in the near future. El-Sisi will hold bilateral talks with a number of Arab leaders on the sidelines of the gathering. Some 16 presidents, kings and princes from the Arab world are expected to attend Wednesday's summit. Last year's summit, which was held in Mauritania, saw the attendance of only seven leaders from the 22 member countries. The 2016 summit saw the absence of El-Sisi, Saudi King Salman and his son Deputy Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, Jordan's King Abdullah II, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi, all of whom will be present at this year's summit. El-Sisi was represented at last year's summit by Prime Minister Sherif Ismail. The Arab leaders will look at developments in a number of regional issues, including the Palestinian issue, the crises in Syria, Libya, Yemen and Somalia, as well as the peace process in Sudan's Darfur. Egypt hosted the Arab League's 2015 summit in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh, where El-Sisi proposed the creation of a joint Arab military force. Jordan was designated as host of the Arab League's 28th session after Yemen declined to serve as host.
