Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed on Friday via phone call bilateral relations between the two countries as well as recent regional and international developments, state news agency MENA reported. During the call, both parties exchanged condolences in the wake of recent terrorist attacks in the two countries. Last week, eight policemen and one civilian were killed in a terrorist attack in Egypt's North Sinai, while in December a truck ploughed through a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people. El-Sisi and Merkel affirmed their respective countries' solidarity in combating terrorism, MENA added. The call also included a discussion on the "special bilateral relations" between Egypt and Germany, as well as the two countries' wish to further their cooperation in all aspects, particularly with Merkel's scheduled visit to Egypt in the first quarter of 2017. The call comes in the wake of the Egyptian foreign affairs minister Sameh Shoukry's two-day visit to Berlin, where he met with a number of German ministers and parliamentary figures. Egypt and Germany have strengthened economic and political ties over the past few years. In November, the first German passenger flight arrived at the Sharm El-Sheikh airport, putting an end to the European country's one-year travel ban to the Red Sea resort city after a Russian passenger plane crashed in Sinai in 2015. In 2015, German company Siemens signed an eight billion euro ($9.05 billion) deal with Egypt to build gas and wind power plants. Germany has also begun supplying Egypt with submarines, delivering in 2016 a submarine built by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems. Two more submarines destined for Egypt are currently under construction. Source: Ahram Online
