President Barack Obama is touting the longstanding relationship between the United States and Egypt as a cornerstone of American security policy in the Middle East.

Obama is meeting with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sissi in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings. It's the first face-to-face meeting between Obama and El-Sissi, who was elected earlier this year.

Obama says they plan to discuss a range of security issues including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Libya and the Islamic State terrorist group wreaking havoc in Iraq and Syria.

US Egypt ties have been strained since the ouster but the US has sought to urge Egypt to pursue a more democratic system.
 

*This story has been edited by Alram Online