Egypt is looking forward to further cooperation with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said Saturday.

El-Sisi made his remarks during a meeting with EBRD Chairman Sir Suma Chakrabarti on the fringe of the Africa Investment Forum 2019, which kicked off earlier on Friday in the New Administrative Capital.

Welcoming the bank's participation in the two-day forum, Sisi applauded the EBRD contributions to various sectors of development in Africa.

The president underscored Egypt's willingness to explore further cooperation opportunities with the EBRD given the comprehensive sustainable development projects underway in the country, especially in the fields of energy, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), water treatment and desalination.

Meanwhile, Chakrabarti hailed the robust ties between the bank and Egypt's financial institutions.

He also commended Egypt's successful economic reform program, which he said helped bring about economic recovery, boost growth and attract more foreign direct investments.

Moreover, Chakrabarti underlined the bank's commitment to further cooperation with Egypt by funding more projects that drive the development process in the country.

He also praised Egypt's pivotal role in preserving security and stability across the Middle East, southern Mediterranean and Africa.

The meeting also took up means of fostering economic, political and development cooperation at the African level, especially by supporting regional integration initiatives among African states to achieve the goals of sustainable development, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady.