President El-Sisi Receives Speaker of US House of Representatives

This evening in Sharm El-Sheikh, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received Speaker of the US House of Representatives Ms. Nancy Pelosi and her accompanying delegation, on the sidelines of COP27.

The Spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency stated that President El-Sisi had a one-on-one meeting with Ms. Pelosi, which was followed by extensive discussions in which her accompanying delegation took part.

President El-Sisi welcomed Ms. Pelosi and her accompanying delegation to Egypt, stressing the strategic, long-standing relations between Egypt and the United States and Egypt’s keenness to strengthen them in all their aspects.

The importance of coordinated efforts has been emphasized, given the turbulent conditions in the region and the escalating challenges they bring about. On top of these challenges are instability, terrorism, as well as the negative repercussions on economy, energy and food security due to many successive global crises, especially the coronavirus and Russian-Ukrainian crisis. These challenges call for solidarity for these repercussions to be confronted.

In this regard, the President affirmed his keenness to communicate with the leaders of the Congress on a regular basis to ensure coordination and consultation between the two friendly countries on various issues of common interest. His Excellency discussed the efforts made by Egypt regarding the fight against terrorism and extremist ideology, stressing that Egypt is making further efforts to eradicate extremist ideology that leads to violence, destruction, sabotage and the demolition of states.

On her part, Ms. Pelosi congratulated President El-Sisi on the outstanding organization of the World Climate Summit, praising the deep, joint cooperation between the two friendly countries. She stressed the great importance that the United States attaches to relations with Egypt, noting that Egypt is a pillar of security and stability in the Middle East and the Arab world and a pivotal partner to the United States in the region. She expressed her appreciation for Egypt’s successful and effective role under the leadership of the President in combating terrorism and extremist ideology, reforming religious discourse and enshrining noble concepts and values such as freedom of belief, tolerance and acceptance of the other. She also commended the great efforts made in Egypt to achieve comprehensive and sustainable development for the benefit of citizens.

The Spokesman added that there was an open dialogue between the President and members of the American delegation. The members of the delegation were keen to listen to the President’s assessments on various regional and international issues, especially regarding the efforts made to combat terrorism over the past years in Egypt and the developments of the various existing crises in the region, particularly in Libya, Yemen and Syria.

Moreover, Egypt’s unremitting efforts to reach political settlements to these issues were also discussed. President El-Sisi stressed that the solution to these issues revolves around ending foreign interference and the presence of armed militias and extremist groups, in parallel with supporting the concept of the state and its institutions, central governments and national armies.

In response to the inquiries of some members of the delegation, the President explained the current situation of the Renaissance Dam issue. He stressed his firm position on reaching a legally-binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam in order to achieve the interest of all parties and preserve Egypt’s water security.

The meeting also discussed the developments of the question of Palestine. Ms. Pelosi praised the Egyptian efforts in support of the peace process that aim to maintain calm between the two sides. The President affirmed Egypt's firm position in this regard: reaching a just and comprehensive solution that guarantees the rights of the Palestinian people according to international references, thus opening up prospects for peaceful coexistence and cooperation among all the peoples of the region.

They also discussed ways to promote bilateral relations between the two countries in a range of areas, especially at the political, military and economic levels. The President also reviewed the efforts made by the Egyptian state to advance development and modernize infrastructure and steps taken toward comprehensive economic reform and sustainable development.