Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met on Sunday with his Armenian counterpart Vahagn Khachaturyan, at the presidential palace in the Armenian capital, Yerevan. The talks dealt with a number of regional and international issues of common concern. The two presidents held closed talks followed by an expanded session of negotiations that included the delegations of the two countries, where the Armenian president expressed his country's appreciation for Egypt at the official and popular levels, and its pride in the extended ties that unite the two nations. According to a statement from the official spokesperson for the Egyptian Presidency, Bassam Rady, the Armenian president also praised the steps to reform the Egyptian economy and the major national projects being implemented, stressing his country's keenness to support Egypt's development efforts in all fields. Khachaturyan also said that he is looking forward to exchanging technical expertise with Egypt and its participation in the implementation of projects in Armenia in a number of sectors in which it has gained experience, particularly infrastructure and transportation. President Al-Sisi expressed Egypt's appreciation for the warm Armenian reception, praising the strong and historical Egyptian-Armenian friendship, especially in light of Egypt's hosting of a large Armenian community, who contributed to the developments it witnessed in various political, economic, cultural and artistic fields, in addition to their role in enriching Egyptian society as an active component. The president also appreciated the advanced level of bilateral relations between the two countries at various levels during the recent period, expressing his appreciation for the participation of the Armenian president in the COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh last November. He also stressed Egypt's aspiration to deepen and strengthen the relation with Armenia, especially at the economic and commercial levels, taking into account the role of institutional mechanisms in achieving this, represented by the Joint Committee for Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, which held its last session in Yerevan in 2017, as well as the Businessmen Forum, which in turn helps to introduce the fields of investment and trade available between the two countries. Rady added that the Armenian president praised the pivotal role played by Egypt in terms of consolidating stability in the Middle East and Africa, especially in the framework of combating illegal immigration, achieving coexistence between religions and supporting peaceful solutions. to the existing crises in its regional environment. Both presidents addressed the global economic repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. Views were also exchanged regarding combating terrorism and extremist ideology. The meeting witnessed the signing of a number of agreements and joint memorandums of understanding between the concerned government agencies in the two countries for cooperation in a number of fields. Areas of cooperation included the scientific and technological field, as well as a memorandum of understanding for cooperation between the Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Armenian Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, in addition to a memorandum of understanding for institutional cooperation in the investment field.
