Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly met with Kenya President William Ruto on Thursday to discuss bilateral cooperation, on the sidelines of the 24th Summit of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) in Nairobi. Madbouly, who was attending the summit on behalf of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, conveyed Sisi's greetings to the Kenyan president and expressed Egypt's appreciation for Kenya's hosting of the event. He also congratulated Ruto on assuming the chairmanship of the bloc for the upcoming year. The prime minister affirmed Egypt's readiness to cooperate and provide full support to Kenya to ensure the success of its chairmanship of what he described as one of the most important and successful regional economic groupings in Africa. During the meeting, Madbouly noted the momentum in bilateral relations following the Kenyan president's state visit to Egypt in January 2025 and expressed President Sisi's desire to visit Kenya at the earliest possible opportunity. He underscored Egypt's keenness to hold the joint committee between the two countries soon and to support cooperation between their private sectors, particularly in priority areas like the pharmaceutical industry. Madbouly also highlighted Egypt's close relations with the Nile Basin countries, citing the Julius Nyerere Dam in Tanzania, built with Egyptian help, as a prime example of Egypt's support for development in the region. The meeting also addressed a number of regional issues of common interest, including the situation in Gaza and Egypt's successful efforts, in cooperation with its partners, to reach an agreement on the first phase of a ceasefire. For his part, President Ruto said he looked forward to receiving President Sisi, whom he described as one of the great leaders on the continent. He expressed his support for Egypt's efforts in Gaza and his appreciation for President Sisi's work to achieve a ceasefire. The meeting was also attended by Egypt's Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Hassan El Khatib, and Egypt's Ambassador to Kenya, Hatem Youssry.
