Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has stressed the importance of uniting Arab stances and solidarity to address the challenges facing the Arab region, especially to confront attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of Arab countries, underlining that Egypt will not allow any breach of the security and stability of its brotherly nations in the Arab Gulf.

 

President El-Sisi met Thursday at Al-Watan Palace in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi with Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces and crown prince of Abu Dhabi.

Egypt's presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said that El-Sisi and and Bin Zayed held a wide-ranging session of talks between delegations of the two countries, where Bin Zayed expressed appreciation for President El-Sisi's visit.

Bin Zayed praised Egypt's pivotal role in the Arab region, stressing that Egypt will remain an essential pillar of security and stability in the Arab world.

He also expressed his appreciation for Egypt's support for the UAE in various fields, underlining the UAE's keenness to strengthen bilateral relations with Egypt at all levels.

President El-Sisi expressed his appreciation for the warm reception, affirming the Egyptian and Emirati peoples' ties of brotherhood, common history and one destiny, affirming Egypt's aspiration to strengthen bilateral cooperation with the UAE in all fields.

"The talks addressed means of enhancing bilateral relations at all levels, as well as a number of regional and international issues of common interest," a follow-up statement said.

"The two sides agreed on the need to strengthen joint efforts to combat terrorism and the importance of concerted efforts of the international community to reach settlements to political crises in some countries in the region, to preserve the territorial integrity of those countries and protect the capabilities of their people," the statement added.

Following the talks, Sheikh Bin Zayed awarded President El-Sisi the "Zayed Merit", the highest medal awarded by the UAE to heads of states, in recognition of historic and close ties between the two brotherly countries.

President El-Sisi and Bin Zayed witnessed the signing of three agreements and memorandums of understanding in the fields of manpower, taxation and insurance.

The two leaders also oversaw the setting up of a $20 billion strategic investment platform for joint projects between Egypt and the UAE. According to Radi, the platform will invest in a various fields and assets through the UAE's Abu Dhabi Development Holding Company and Egypt's sovereign wealth fund.

Egypt's sovereign wealth fund capital amounts to EGP 1 billion according to Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait. The fund was created by Law 177 of 2018 with the aim of managing the country's state-owned assets.