Egypt’s Sisi, Ivorian leader ink MoUs in first visit to Abidjan

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi signed on Thursday a number of memerondums of understanding (MoUs) with the president of the Ivory Coast Alassane Ouattara on cooperation in health, culture, and information technology.

Sisi arrived in the Ivory Coast early on Thursday in the first ever visit by an Egyptian president to the West African country.

This is the second leg of a three-nation African tour by the Egyptian president as part of a broader drive to boost political and economic ties with countries in the continent. The first stop was in Guinea earlier this week and the last stop will be Senegal.

The Ivorian president welcomed Sisi’s unprecedented visit to Abidjan, and expressed appreciation for the Egyptian president’s ongoing African tour, which reflects Egypt’s weight and role on the popular and official levels and its vital role in Africa.

President Ouattara also affirmed the strong relations binding Egypt and the Ivory Coast and expressed his country’s aspiration to strengthen relations with Egypt, particularly in the field of information technology, as well as on the economic level.

Ouattara said he hopes the Egyptian president’s visit will open new horizons of cooperation between Egypt and the Ivory Coast, especially during Egypt’s current chairmanship of the African Union.

Sisi expressed his readiness to support the Ivory Coast in infrastructure and information technology, especially given Egypt’s extensive expertise in these fields.

“The talks between presidents Sisi and Ouattara reflected strong agreement between the two countries on issues of mutual interest, especially on the situation in Libya,” a statement by Egypt’s presidential spokesperson Bassam Rady said.

President Ouattara expressed appreciation for Egypt’s efforts to promote joint African action within the framework of its current chairmanship of the African Union and as part of its mission to promote the AU’s 2063 agenda for sustainable development in Africa.

The two presidents agreed at the end of the talks to activate the role of the joint committee between the two countries at the level of foreign ministers to follow up on cooperation in various fields.

Source: Ahram Online