Egypt's Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel-Ati headed on Thursday to South Sudan for an official visit to discuss enhancing cooperation on water resources and irrigation.

"The visit comes in light of the unique relationship between Egypt and South Sudan on all levels, as well as wider regional cooperation on water resources," the minister said in a press statement.

Egypt has been supporting a number of hydrological projects in South Sudan in recent years. Among them are the cleanup of the Bahr Al-Ghazal River, the main western tributary of the Nile, and the construction of a number of river anchorages to facilitate waterway shipping and transport between the country's cities and villages.