President El-Sisi Receives President of DR Congo

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received this evening at Al-Ittihadiya Palace President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Félix Tshisekedi and his accompanying delegation, in the presence of Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Dr. Mohamed Abdel-Aty, and Director of the General Intelligence Service Mr. Abbas Kamel.

The Spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency stated that both presidents held discussions, followed by expanded talks between the delegations of both countries. President El-Sisi welcomed his brother President Tshisekedi to his second country, Egypt, expressing his appreciation for the close historical relations between the two countries and keenness to promote bilateral cooperation in various fields.

President Tshisekedi expressed his country's profound appreciation for its long-standing and distinguished historical relations with Egypt. The Congolese President praised Egypt’s pivotal role in maintaining peace and security in the region. He also stressed the Congo’s keenness to develop these relations in various fields.

The Spokesman stated that the meeting mainly discussed the latest developments in the issue of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). President El-Sisi affirmed Egypt's appreciation for the efforts made by the Congolese President and expressed its confidence in his ability to deal with the GERD file. In this regard, His Excellency expressed Egypt's keenness to support these efforts within the framework of the negotiation track backed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, whose president is the current Chairperson of the African Union. It was also added that international partners are also exerting efforts in this regard with the aim of reaching a legally binding agreement on the rules of the filling and operation of the GERD.

The President also stressed that Egypt will not accept to have any harm inflicted on its water security and emphasized, in turn, the importance of reaching a legally binding agreement that would help safeguard Egypt’s water rights and spare the region more tension and instability.

For his part, President Tshisekedi affirmed his keenness to intensify coordination, during the current stage, on this sensitive issue to help all parties achieve progress in the relevant tripartite negotiations. He praised, in this regard, the great effort made by Egypt to reach a just and balanced agreement on the GERD that takes into account the interests of the three countries.