Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met late Wednesday with his British counterpart Philip Hammond to discuss issues including preparations for the Egyptian president's upcoming visit to Britain, a ministry statement said. Before the end of the year, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is expected take his first official trip to Britain since he was sworn into office in June 2014. The meeting between the two ministers came on the sidelines of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly. Hammond stressed to the Egyptian FM that his country is keen on al-Sisi's visit and is looking forward to strengthening economic and political ties between the two countries as well as the bolstering of trade industries. The two ministers also discussed the latest developments in Syria, Libya and Yemen, as well as issues pertaining to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, according to Egyptian foreign ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid. Abu Zeid added that Egypt and the United Kingdom enjoy strong ties, particularly since 2009, which witnessed £1.6 billion in trade between the two countries. The British government had invited the Egyptian president to visit the UK in June 2015, although that trip did not take place for unspecified reasons. In September, Egypt's minister of defence visited the UK and met with top British officials, who stressed the UK's commitment to working with Egypt in tackling the countries' "shared challenges". Source: Ahram Online
