Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and First Lady Entissar El-Sisi received on Thursday the British Crown Prince Charles and his wife Camilla Parker — the Duchess of Cornwall — at the Ittihadiya Presidential Palace.

The royal couple were welcomed earlier in the day by Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled El-Enany at Cairo International Airport as they start a two-day visit to the country, their first since 2006.

During the meeting, President El-Sisi expressed his hope that the visit would represent a new phase in the historical relations between the two countries, Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement.

“The British royal visits have always represented a prominent milestones that remains enshrined in the political and popular memory of both Egypt and Britain,” the statement quoted El-Sisi as saying.

El-Sisi expressed Egypt’s solidarity with the United Kingdom over the terrorist attack that took place in Liverpool on Sunday.

He stressed the importance of intensifying cooperation between Egypt and the United Kingdom to promote the values of tolerance, peace, and acceptance to undermine the extremist interpretations that are adopted by terrorist groups.

Moreover, El-Sisi noted that the Egyptian state ensures the freedom of religion, upholds the principles of equal citizenship and non-discrimination between all citizens, and promotes a culture of pluralism and acceptance of the other, the statement noted.

Furthermore, the president called on the international community to adopt a multi-level strategy to deal with all parties supporting terrorist organisations as well as confront extremist ideologies and promote the values of tolerance and coexistence.

El-Sisi stressed to Prince Charles the significance of consolidating national institutions in the countries in the region that are facing various crises.

He said such a step will help fill the power vacuum that allows terrorism to grow and spread to the rest of the world, adding that “these are determinants that represent, in their entirety, the constants and principles of Egypt’s policy in dealing with the region’s crises.”

On his part, the crown prince praised the private relations between Egypt and the United Kingdom, noting that Egypt plays a pivotal and balanced role — under President El-Sisi’s leadership — in dealing with many international issues and maintaining security and stability in the region.

He also voiced his appreciation of Egypt’s efforts over the past years to combat extremist ideologies and terrorism.

Prince Charles also expressed his country’s interest in bolstering cooperation with Egypt to benefit from its experience in “consolidating the role of religions as an incubator for positive social development that grows the individual’s awareness on his role and duties towards his society, its stability, and development.”

Additionally, the president and the crown prince discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in a number of fields, especially academia and health.

They also addressed means of boosting coordination on climate change in light of the multiple initiatives sponsored by Prince Charles in this field as well as Egypt’s preparations to host the 27th United Nations’ Conference of Parties (COP27) in 2022, the statement said.

Earlier on Thursday, the royal couple met with Al-Azhar’s Grand Imam Ahmed El-Tayyeb at Al-Azhar mosque, where they discussed religious harmony and the role of faith in protecting the environment.