Statement by President El-Sisi in Joint Press Conference with President of South Sudan

Dear brother, Your Excellency President Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the brotherly nation of South Sudan,

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is my pleasure to be here today in Juba. I would like to thank my brother, His Excellency Mr. President Salva Kiir for the warm reception and generous hospitality in my second home: South Sudan, a brotherly nation with which Egypt and its people have eternal ties and a shared history that spans through decades. During this shared history Egypt saw the aspiration of your great people to have a better future, believing in their right to have their hopes realized and their legitimate aspirations achieved. It was also embodied in the special relation between Egypt and the late leader John Garang.

Today we had fruitful and in-depth bilateral talks that reflected the existing common political will towards strengthening the integrated strategic partnership between both nations in various fields, thus allowing us to properly capitalize on our capabilities to serve the interests of both brotherly nations.

We also discussed means of enhancing and developing bilateral relations between both nations at different levels, on top of which is the political, military, and security coordination during the current important phase the region is going through. In addition, we discussed issues in the fields of economy and trade and ways to improve the rates of trade exchange between both nations and encourage the Egyptian investments in South Sudan for the mutual advantage of both countries.

The bilateral talks also looked over means to promote the existing cooperation between both countries in the field of water resources and irrigation and our common efforts to maximize the utilization of the Nile River resources. We also stressed Egypt’s vision which is based on the fact that the Nile River should be a source of cooperation and development as a lifeline for all nations of the Nile Basin. We also overviewed the latest developments related to the Renaissance Dam issue and the current course of the negotiations which aim to arrive at a legal binding agreement regarding the filling and operation of the Renaissance Dam.

We agreed on intensifying cooperation regarding sharing the Egyptian expertise and providing technical support while building up South Sudanese human national cadres. This will be achieved through continuing the training programs provided by the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development in various sectors such as: education, health, agriculture, irrigation and other civilian and military fields.

I stressed throughout the talks Egypt’s full support to all the efforts made by President Salva Kiir, Vice President Riek Machar, and all South Sudanese parties to achieve peace in the country. I would also like to commend, in this regard, the efforts made by all political parties in South Sudan to move forward in implementing all obligations of the transitional phase based on the Revitalized Peace Agreement; the agreement we are all keen on enhancing its implementation mechanisms. I also praise their support for the efforts made by the Government of National Unity to draft a new constitution that would realize all the aspirations of the South Sudanese people towards peace, stability and development.

Our bilateral talks also saw exchange of opinions regarding various regional and international issues that are of common interest, especially the current development in the Horn of Africa and East Africa which are of strategic importance and how to contain the potential fallout in the region. We agreed to coordinate joint efforts that would achieve security and stability across the region and preserve the interests of the nations in the region within a transparent framework for their common interests.

In this regard, I cannot miss to commend the efforts made by President Salva Kiir to achieve stability in the countries of the region, especially your mediating efforts between the government of Sudan and the revolutionary factions. These efforts had been a success since the Juba Peace Agreement was signed by both parties last October.

My brother, Your Excellency President Salva Kiir,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to seize this opportunity to assure the South Sudanese brotherly nation that Egypt will forever remain your loyal supporter and keen brother with regard to the interests of this honorable people and that we are committed to provide any kind of support through the existing mechanisms of cooperation between both countries. I also call on the international community to fulfill its pledges and obligations towards the state of South Sudan in its path towards building a better future. We support the endeavors of lifting the international sanctions against it, which would contribute to supporting the current political transition process.

Finally, I would like to re-express my gratitude and appreciation for the warm reception and generous hospitality from your part, Your Excellency President Salva Kiir, and from the brotherly people of South Sudan. I am looking forward to seeing you in the near future in your second country, Egypt.

Thank you