Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met on Tuesday with Slovenia's Prime Minister Marjan Šarec in Vienna to discuss strengthening cooperation between the two countries, a statement by Egyptian presidential spokesperson Bassam Rady read.

El-Sisi and Šarec discussed boosting cooperation in fields of defence, security, combating terrorism and organised crime.

El-Sisi spoke to Šarec about Egypt's efforts to improve the business environment, encourage the private sector and attract foreign direct investment.

The meeting is part of El-Sisi's four-day visit to the Austrian capital to attend the EU-Africa summit.

During the meeting, El-Sisi praised Egypt's strong ties with Slovenia and highlighted Egypt's keenness to enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields, especially trade and tourism. 

A joint committee headed by the foreign ministers of both countries is expected to meet soon in Cairo to boost cooperation, Rady said. 

The Slovenian prime minister expressed his country's keenness to develop and strengthen its relations with Egypt, especially as the country represents a central pillar of stability and security in the Middle East.

They also discussed a number of issues related to the regional situation and ways of reaching political solutions to the ongoing conflicts in the region, as well as efforts to combat the phenomenon of irregular migration. 

El-Sisi congratulated Šarec on his election as Slovenia's PM in September. He also hailed the success of the last legislative elections in Slovenia.

In November, Egypt and Slovenia signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in the field of developing infrastructure to distribute energy.