Sisi, Senegal's president talk cooperation to counter extremism

CAIRO - 12 December 2019: President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Wednesday expressed Egypt's willingness to cooperate with Senegal, as a country that spreads moderate Islamic thought in West Africa region, to combat extremist ideology, the Presidency said in a statement.

Meeting with Senegalese President Macky Sall on the sidelines of the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development held in Egypt for the first time, Sisi affirmed Egypt's readiness to foster bilateral relations with Senegal in various fields, especially trade exchange, investment, developing infrastructure, the provision of technical support, and capacity building, Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said in a statement.

For his part, Sall hailed the continuous progress in the relations between the two African countries,

Sall expressed his appreciation for the Egyptian leadership and people.

During the meeting, the two leaders agreed on enhancing the role of the delegation of Al-Azhar, Egypt's highest religious authority, in Senegal, and granting scholarships to the Senegalese students to study in Egypt. In this regard, Sall hailed the role of Al-Azhar to combat extremist ideology worldwide.

The meeting also discussed the developments of the issues in Africa, especially in light of Egypt's chairmanship of the African Union this year. The two leaders have agreed to continue coordination on these issues, including the situation in West Africa region.


President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi meets with Senegalese President Macky Sall on the sidelines of the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development held in Egypt – Courtesy of the Egyptian Presidency
In April this year, President Sisi visited the Senegalese capital of Dakar, where he also met with Sall. Sisi said that he and Sall held “fruitful and in-depth bilateral discussions” that tackled the ways of developing and enhancing the bilateral relations between the two countries on political, economic and security levels.

Sisi opened Wednesday the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development in Africa, the first to be held in the Upper Egyptian city of Aswan, the capital of African youth.

A number of African heads of state and government, as well as officials, are taking part in the event meant to open new channels toward achieving peace and sustainable development in the continent.

The two-day forum comes upon an initiative by Sisi after assuming the chairmanship of the African Union.