Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has met with Bahraini King Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa, who arrived at Cairo International Airport on Thursday to discuss bilateral relations. According to a statement issued by the Egyptian presidency on Thursday, President El-Sisi welcomed King Hamad to "his second country," Egypt, stressing his keenness to further enhance cooperation with Bahrain in various fields. The king stressed Bahrain's keenness to continue to develop and strengthen bilateral cooperation in various fields in a way that serves the common interests of the two peoples. King Hamad praised Egypt's pioneering development renaissance under the leadership of the President El-Sisi, expressing his appreciation for Egypt's consistent stances over the decades to support the march of development in Bahrain. The Bahraini king also lauded Egypt's historical role in protecting Arab national security, defending Arab causes and interests, and strengthening the foundations of peace, security and stability in the Middle East. Egypt's presidency spokesman Bassam Rady said that the talks tackled the latest regional developments, a number of crises in Arab countries, in addition to efforts exerted to combat terrorism and counter foreign interference. In this regard, El-Sisi stressed Egypt's firm stance in support of the security of the Arab Gulf region as an integral part of Egypt's own national security. The two leaders also praised the agreement between the Yemen government and Southern Transitional Council under the patronage of King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Saudi crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman and with support of UAE government and Crown prince in Abu Dhabi, sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed. They considered the agreement is a pivotal step forward in solving the Yemeni crisis.
