President El-Sisi Receives Commander of U.S. Central Command

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received today Commander of the United States Central Command General Kenneth F. McKenzie, Jr. in the presence of Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Lieutenant General Mohamed Farid Hegazy and U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Arab Republic of Egypt Jonathan R. Cohen.

The Spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency stated that President El-Sisi welcomed the Commander of the United States Central Command in Egypt. His Excellency stressed the distinguished Egypt-U.S. strategic relations. In this regard, the President said that he was looking forward to enhancing the existing bilateral cooperation in all fields, especially at the military level. It was stressed that the existing military cooperation between the U.S. and Egypt has been extended over the past decades.

It was noted that Egypt-US bilateral relations would contribute to promoting fruitful cooperation between the two countries in face of the common challenges in the region.

On his part, Mr. McKenzie affirmed his keenness to continue joint coordination and consultation with Egypt on regional issues, in light of the strong military relations between Egypt and the United States of America that are essential to face the current challenges threatening the security and stability of the region.

In this regard, Mr. McKenzie stressed the pivotal and main role Egypt plays to support peace and stability in its region, highlighting its efforts in combating terrorism and extremist ideology.

The meeting discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation relations between the two countries on the military, security and counterterrorism levels. Joint training programs and exchange of experiences were also touched on during the meeting, the Spokesman added.

Furthermore, views and visions on the latest developments in a number of regional issues, especially in the Middle East, the Horn of Africa and the East Mediterranean, were exchanged. In this respect, it was agreed to continue regular bilateral consultations and coordination between the two friendly countries regarding issues of common interest.