Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi (Reuters)
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi arrived Tuesday in the United Arab Emirates to kick off strategic talks that Cairo's Gulf ally says are highly important amid ongoing conflicts in the region.
El-Sisi's visit, the second to the oil-rich Gulf country this year, is of "double importance" in light of intertwined conflicts in the region, including in Yemen and Syria, the UAE’s state news agency WAM reported on Tuesday.
During the visit, discussions will "focus on means to bolster bilateral ties and strategic cooperation between both countries in light of the challenges the region is witnessing, which require rapid measures," WAM said.
Talks will also pay special attention to ramping up economic ties between Cairo and Abu Dhabi.
Since the 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, the UAE has emerged as a main donor to Egypt, providing billions of dollars of aid to Cairo.
The UAE and some other Gulf Arab countries were opposed to Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood, which they view as a security threat.
Following his visit to the UAE, El-Sisi will fly to India for the third India Africa Forum Summit, state news agency MENA said. The meeting will bring together 40 African countries to discuss means of developing economic cooperation between India and the African continent countries.
He will later head to Bahrain where he will hold talks with King Hamad bin Issa Al-Khalifa to address bilateral ties and developments in the region.
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