Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met on Monday on the sidelines of an emergency Arab-Islamic summit in Doha, where they condemned the recent Israeli attack on Qatar and discussed enhancing bilateral ties. Al-Sisi began the meeting by offering his condolences to the government and people of Pakistan for the victims of recent floods and a terrorist attack on Sept. 13, affirming Egypt's firm stance in condemning all forms of terrorism and extremism, a statement from the Egyptian presidency said. The two leaders agreed on the importance of developing joint cooperation in various fields, especially economic, trade, and investment, to serve the mutual interests of both countries and address accelerating regional and international challenges. "The President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan expressed their strong condemnation of the recent Israeli aggression on the State of Qatar, stressing that this attack is a flagrant violation of international law and the principle of respect for the sovereignty of states," the presidency spokesperson said. Al-Sisi stressed that Egypt was one of the first countries to warn of the serious repercussions of the war in the Gaza Strip, seeing it as a "spark for an extended circle of conflict and tension in the region." He said this necessitates intensifying international efforts to stop the war, end the humanitarian catastrophe in the strip, and immediately begin reconstruction, alongside launching a serious political process leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. For his part, the Pakistan's prime minister praised Egypt's active role in calming regional situations, its mediation efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, and its role in facilitating an agreement to resume cooperation between Iran and the IAEA. In a post on the social media platform X after the meeting, Sharif said: "We agreed that unity of the Muslim world was essential to hold Israel accountable & to safeguard regional peace and stability. We also discussed the positive trajectory of our bilateral relations and reaffirmed our commitment to deepen Pak-Egypt ties, especially in trade, investment & health sector."
