Cairo—Ammar al-Hakim, the leader of Iraq's Shia National Alliance bloc in the Iraqi parliament, concludes his three-day visit to Egypt on Thursday. During his visit, al-Hakim met with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and several other senior state officials. The Egyptian president and the Shia leader discussed the latest developments in Iraq, especially the latest victories of the Iraqi army, against the ISIS militant group as well Egyptian-Iraqi bilateral relations.
al-Sisi and Al-Hakim also discussed the efforts to reach a political settlement among different sects in Iraq. Al-Hakim confirmed that President al-Sisi has pledged full support for Iraq in confronting terrorism and for the national reconciliation project. "Egypt is committed to supporting Iraqi unity and sovereignty and the efforts that aim at restoring security and stability in Iraq," al-Sisi said during the meeting. Al-Hakeem expressed his thanks and appreciation for Egypt's support, stressing that Egypt plays a pivotal role as a cornerstone for security and stability in the region. Besides meeting with al-Sisi, Al-Hakeem also met with Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Dr. Ahmed al-Tayyib, Egyptian parliament speaker Ali Abdul Aal and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry to discuss bilateral relations.
