President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met on Sunday with the Senate of Canada Speaker, George Furey, in the presence of Ali Abdel Aal, the Egyptian parliament speaker, and the Canadian embassy's Charge d'Affaires in Cairo. The president stressed Egypt's keenness to strengthen bilateral relations in all areas, especially at the parliamentary level. He appreciated the historical relations between the two countries and Canada's role in supporting the economic and social development in Egypt. For his part, Furey said Egypt has a central role in the Middle East region, expressing his interest to deepen bilateral ties. He also appreciated the role of President Al-Sisi in combating extremism and terrorism as well as introducing significant reforms in different sectors in Egypt. Egypt has an active role in Middle East in terms of supporting security and stability in the entire region as well as the African continent, Furey added. Moreover, Al-Sisi expressed appreciation for the support and good treatment of the Egyptian community in Canada, which contributed to their integration in many social, economic, and political fields. The president also reviewed Egypt's comprehensive economic and social reforms, expressing his hope to receive Canada's support in this period, through investing in Egypt. The Egyptian side emphasised the state's support to women's empowerment along with the youth, and referred to the high priority given to women's rights. Moreover, Furey and Abdel Aal held a separate meeting which focused on the bilateral relations between Egypt and Canada and considering parliamentary relations. The meeting also reviewed the latest political, economic, and social developments in Egypt, and witnessed the agreement of the two sides to form an Egyptian-Canadian parliamentary friendship association to push the relations between the two houses forward. Furey will also meet with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayeb; Bishop Daniel, secretary of the Coptic Church, on behalf of Pope Tawadros II, who is currently visiting Germany; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sameh Shoukry; and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar.
