El-Sisi made his remarks in a meeting with Jean Léon Ngandu, the special envoy of the Congolese president and the DRC’s permanent representative to the AU, in Cairo, a statement by the Egyptian presidency read.

Ngandu handed El-Sisi a message from his Congolese counterpart, Félix Tshisekedi, expressing his deep appreciation of Egypt’s relentless support for the DRC within the framework of the Congolese presidency of the AU.

The Congolese envoy said that this support has stemmed from Egypt’s broad experience in multilateral work on the African level, the statement read.

Tshisekedi’s message hailed the friendly relations and brotherly ties connecting Egypt and the DRC and affirmed his keenness to support these ties on all levels.

On his part, El-Sisi asked the Congolese envoy to extend his greetings to Tshisekedi and hailed the DRC’s efforts regarding its current presidency of the AU.

The Egyptian president also pledged his support to the bilateral relations between the two countries as an extension of their distinguished historic relations that represent a model of cooperation and joint coordination inside the continent.

The meeting also discussed developments regarding a number of issues of mutual concern in Africa which represent a priority to the AU’s agenda currently, the statement said without further elaboration.

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Tshibasu Mfuad, the chargé d’affaires of the Congolese embassy in Egypt, attended the meeting as well.

In mid-September, El-Sisi and Tshisekedi discussed bilateral relations and issues of mutual concern in a phone call, hailing the developmental cooperation both countries enjoy in the fields of infrastructure, digital transformation, building and construction, energy, water, and others.

Also in September, the DRC’s Foreign Minister Christophe Lutundula embarked on an official visit to Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt to discuss arrangements regarding the resumption of talks to resolve the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) dispute.

The three countries have conveyed their willingness to continue the AU-sponsored GERD talks that have ground to a halt since April after the UN Security Council issued a presidential statement earlier in September encouraging the three parties to return to the negotiation table to reach a deal.