Sisi’s concludes his Africa tour on Thursday

CAIRO – 17 August 2017: As President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi concludes on Thursday his Africa tour, an official body tracks the leader’s foreign visits since he took the office in 2014 citing a priority given to boosting relations with the Dark Continent.

President Sisi visited 21 African countries- including the current visit- out of 69 foreign visits since he took the office presenting 30 percent of all his visits. Also President Sisi held 112 meetings with African leaders and officials who visited Egypt over the last 3 years out of 543 president meetings with leaders and senior officials of the world as well as international organizations.

The political discourse of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi - both internally and externally - emphasizes the historical and strategic importance of the Egyptian-African relations and the pride of Egypt in its African belonging.

He stressed that: "We are determined to return Egypt to its place and to contribute effectively to the rest of the continent in the face of the challenges, in particular terrorism, organized crime, epidemics and environmental degradation ".

President Sisi has been keen to participate in several African summits since he took office in Egypt in 2014, which he started with the attendance of the Malabo summit.

There is no doubt that this presidential interest was met with African appreciation, manifested in the African support for Egypt's representation in the non-permanent membership of the Security Council, the chairmanship of the African Union's Climate Change Committee, Egypt's membership in the African Peace and Security Council and the African Union's support for the nomination of Ambassador Moushira Khattab as the representative of the continent at the head of UNESCO.

The Egyptian policy - at the African level - adopts the principle of "a win-win situation," especially with regard to the Egyptian vision for the sustainable development of the Nile Basin countries, which was clearly confirmed by President Sisi at the Nile Basin Summit in Entebbe last June.

According to the Egyptian presidency, Sisi’s African tour reflects Egypt's "keenness to bolster relations on the African continent in all fields, intensify coordination and communication with its African brothers, as well as boost cooperation with African countries on all levels, especially in economic and trade ties."