Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi will meet Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir in Cairo on Monday to discuss bilateral relations, El-Sisi's office said in a statement on Sunday. Al-Bashir is visiting the Egyptian capital as part of "continued consultations between the two presidents," presidency spokesman Bassam Rady said in the statement. The two leaders will discuss "bolstering brotherly ties between the two countries in all areas in a manner that contributes to serving the interests of the Egyptian and Sudanese peoples." El-Sisi and Al-Bashir last met in January on the sidelines of the African Union Summit in Ethiopia, where the two leaders agreed on forming a quadrilateral committee comprising the foreign ministers and intelligence heads of both nations. The quadrilateral committee, which had its first meeting in Cairo last February, aims to "remove any flaws that could hamper this brotherly relationship, solidarity and unified destiny in the face of mutual challenges." Last week, Egypt's acting intelligence chief Abbas Kamel visited Sudan, where he met with Al-Bashir, foreign minister Ibrahim Al-Ghandour, and other Sudanese officials. Kamel expressed Egypt's determination to create the circumstances that would allow for a return to normal relations between the two countries. Relations between Egypt and Sudan were strained in recent months over Sudan's claims of sovereignty over Egypt's southern Halayeb Triangle region and its harbouring of members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, as well as other differences related to the construction of the Ethiopian Renaissance dam. In January, Sudan recalled its ambassador to Cairo for consultations. However, recent meetings between the countries' presidents and discussions held by top officials have eased tensions. The Sudanese ambassador returned to Cairo in early March to resume his duties. "The major challenges facing the region force us to communicate and respond rapidly to different issues in order to resolve them, so they don't become obstacles affecting the relationship between the two countries," Kamel said, according to a statement by the Sudanese armed forces last week. Sudanese defence minister Awad Mohamed Ahmed bin Awaf said during the meeting with Kamel that Egyptian national security is key to the security of the Arab world, and "it is a duty to preserve it."
