Egypt has a firm principle not to interfere in the affairs of others or to conspire against them, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said during a meeting with Sudanese intellectuals on Friday.
He added that Sudan’s national security was an integral part of Egypt’s national security and that the two countries would have the opportunity to achieve a great deal for their peoples if they had goodwill.
Political events in Egypt in recent years confirmed that conflicts between countries do not arise directly, but through indirect dismantling of countries from within, he stressed, emphasizing that Egypt rejects this method in order to achieve its interests.
Sisi also referred to the extensive economic reform in Egypt, said Bassam Rady, official spokesman for the presidency.
“Egypt launched tough economic reform that succeeded thanks to the perseverance of the Egyptian people,” said Sisi, pointing out that the Egyptian state was threatened with bankruptcy three years ago.
The President underlined Egypt’s good intentions towards Sudan.
He pointed out that Egypt imports $ 30 billion in meat from a country thousands of kilometers away, while Sudan is a meat-rich country.
“We can enrich one another, support one another and realize the hopes of our two peoples who are waiting a lot for us,” said Sisi.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi began a two-day visit to Sudan on Thursday, his first visit to Khartoum since his most recent election for a second term.
The Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir received Sisi on Thursday afternoon at the international airport of Khartoum.
After the official reception ceremony, the two presidents held a meeting at the presidential office at Khartoum airport and then went to the Sudanese Republican Palace, where a joint summit is planned, which will also discuss issues related to strengthening bilateral relations between Egypt and Sudan intended to discuss many African, Arab, regional and international issues of common interest.
Talks between the two presidents focused on means of maximizing economic cooperation and improving various aspects of joint cooperation in the areas of infrastructure, transport, agriculture and livestock, Rady said.
The volume of trade between Egypt and Sudan is currently $ 1 billion.
The volume of direct and cumulative Egyptian investments in Sudan is 2.7 billion US dollars and is spread across the areas of industry, procurement, infrastructure, telecommunications, banking, pharmaceuticals and others.
Egypt has also set up strategic land reclamation projects in Sudan, including 100,000 feddans in Blue Nile state and an Egyptian meat production project covering 40,000 acres in White Nile state.
Egypt and Sudan have a joint shipping company between the ports of Aswan and Halfa to move goods and individuals.
Sudan’s major exports to Egypt are worth $ 350 million annually, in addition to $ 100 million camels and gum arabic.
Sisi’s visit to Khartoum is the fifth since he took office in 2014 and the first since he was re-elected for a second term in March 2018. The President’s visit to Sudan took place in October 2016, during which he gave a speech at the last session of the Sudanese national dialogue.
Revised translation by Al-Masry Al-Youm
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