In the second part of his interview with CNBC that aired late on Monday, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi hailed US President Donald Trump's efforts in “improving security in the Middle East.” “I see that President Trump is managing foreign policy in our region. Can I say in short that the United States has regained its weight in the region and its role, and is preserving the security of the region and its countries,” El-Sisi told CNBC reporter Hadley Gamble. "We are completely supporting and cooperating with President Trump on this," El-Sisi added. Trump and El-Sisi have demonstrated a rapport since Trump's election as president, often vowing support and trading praise. In response to a question about whether he is closer to Trump or Russian President Vladimir Putin, El-Sisi laughed and said that this is "old politics." "I very much admire President Trump. I anticipated his victory and I anticipate that he will succeed in managing a country as big as the US," he said. But El-Sisi adde that Cairo also has "very good relations" with President Putin who developed stronger political and military ties with Cairo since El-Sisi took power. On the US supporting Egypt's efforts in the fight against terrorism, El-Sisi said that this has "completely changed for the better since Donald Trump came to power." Terrorist attacks have taken a toll on Egypt's economy over the past few years by driving away tourists, El-Sisi told Gamble. However, El-Sisi said that the situation is "much better compared to past months and years." The president also talked about a number megaprojects currently underway in Egypt, including the Suez Canal Economic Zone, road networks and energy projects, which he said have already employed 3 million people in a country where almost 12 percent of the population is unemployment.
El-Sisi also called on countries in the Middle East to preserve stability in the region. "The stability of the region is very important and we all have to protect it," El-Sisi said.
