British Prime Minister Theresa May expressed support of Egypt's economic reforms policies during a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi Tuesday in New York on the sidelines of the 71st United Nations General Assembly meeting. According to a statement by Egypt's presidency spokesman Alaa Youssef, the British PM urged the developing of bilateral relations on the political and economic levels as well as the increasing of British investments in Egypt. May expressed the UK's support of Egypt's preliminary agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in August to secure a three-year $12 billion loan facility. The Egyptian and British leaders discussed the security procedures and efforts undertaken in Egypt's airports and agreed on working on the resumption of British flights to Sharm El-Sheikh. Since November 2015, the UK and several other countries have suspended flights to the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh following the downing of a Russian airliner over central Sinai in October of that year, which killed all 224 people on board. Meetings with Arab leaders According to the presidency spokesman, al-Sisi also met on Tuesday with Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi, King Abdullah II of Jordan and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. In his meeting with the Iraqi PM, Egypt's president expressed Egypt's utmost support of Iraq's efforts to fight terrorism and restore peace and security in the country. Al-Abadi talked about the latest advances made by Iraqi forces against the Islamic State militant group, adding that Iraq aims to rebuild areas devastated by the conflict and achieve economic and social development. They also discussed promoting bilateral cooperation, particularly in projects on infrastructure. Sisi's meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan tackled regional issues, with the two leaders stressing on the importance of uniting Arab countries and settling conflicts in the Middle East to resolve the refugee crisis. During his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Sisi assured that the Palestinian cause would remain at the top of Egypt's foreign policy agenda, stressing Egypt's support for initiatives that work towards resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, while Abbas hailed Egypt's support in the peace process. The two leaders agreed on coordinating in future endeavours to reach fair and comprehensive settlements for the Palestinian people. Regarding the peace process in the Middle East and reaching a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, President Sisi said earlier today during an interview on the US-based PBS TV channel that when he calls for Israel to embrace peace in his speeches and public statements, he directs his comments not only to the Israeli leadership, but also to the people of Israel. Sisi flew to New York on Sunday to attend the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly. On Monday, he gave a speech highlighting Egypt's efforts to combat illegal migration from the country. In a very busy schedule, Sisi also met with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, the president of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades and the head of the European Council Donald Tusk, as well as with the Democratic and Republican US presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Source: Ahram Online
