Egypt's Sisi discusses developments in GERD talks with US treasury secretary

Ahram Online , Tuesday 5 Jan 2021

sisi

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed in Cairo on Tuesday the latest developments in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) negotiations with US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, the Egyptian presidency announced.

President El-Sisi expressed his appreciation for the efforts of US President Trump in the GERD issue as well as the personal involvement of Munchin in the successive rounds of negotiations held in Washington last year.

According to a statement by the US embassy in Cairo, Munchin said that his trip to Egypt and Sudan, which is next on his Mideast tour, accentuates the need to equitably resolve the outstanding points of disagreement and forge a binding agreement on the GERD that addresses Egypt’s concerns and those of other parties. 

El-Sisi and Munchin also discussed several regional issues in the meeting, including the latest developments in the Palestinian issue and ways to revive the peace process

The Egyptian president affirmed Egypt's position in this regard to reach a just and comprehensive solution that guarantees the rights of the Palestinian people and to establish their independent state in accordance with international laws, expressing Egypt's aspiration for continued cooperation with the United States in this regard.

Given that the Palestinian issue is the core of the Middle East’s issues, settling it would change the reality of the entire region for the better by opening new horizons for cooperation at the regional level and undermining terrorism and extremist ideology, President El-Sisi said in the meeting.

They also discussed the latest developments in US-Egyptian bilateral relations.

"Egypt is a vital partner of the United States, as demonstrated by the over 1,200 American companies active here, with total bilateral trade growing 76 percent over the past four years,” Munchin was quoted by the US embassy as saying.

Mnuchin is currently on a Middle East tour that includes Egypt Israel, the UAE, Sudan and Qatar.

Egypt’s Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait, Minister of Irrigation Mohamed Abdel-Atty and Chief of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service Abbas Kamel also attended the meeting.

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