Angola President Joao Lourenco and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 08.06.2023
Following Angola, the Egyptian leader will head to Mozambique and Zambia on a tour that, according to his presidential spokesman, demonstrates Cairo's desire "to intensify communication and coordination with its African brothers."
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has embarked on his African tour, stopping in Angola's capital Luanda, where he held bilateral talks with his Angolan counterpart, Joao Lourenco, the presidency said in a statement.
According to the statement, el-Sisi "expressed his pleasure at visiting Angola for the first time" and highlighted the significance of enhancing ties with Luanda for the ongoing development of the African continent.
"He [El-Sisi] stressed the importance Egypt attaches to maximizing coordination and consultation with the Angolan side and President Lourenco on ways to strengthen the mechanisms of joint African action...in order to contribute to the growth and stability which African States aspire to achieve," the statement read.
The talks focused on a number of regional affairs and issues of mutual interest, particularly the situation in Sudan, jointly combatting terrorism and extremism on the African continent by strengthening cooperation in the field of security.
Angola's leader in turn "referred to the deep historical relations between the two fraternal countries at various levels" and urged the nations to boost cooperation in the area of trade.
"This is in addition to benefiting from Egypt’s potential, broad and successful experience in many areas, including infrastructure development, the construction of new cities, pharmaceutical manufacturing, the construction of bridges and road projects, and tourism," Lourenco stressed.
Following the talks, the leaders signed memorandums of understanding for cooperation in the areas of security cooperation and utilization of groundwater.
The presidents' meeting in Luanda came more than a year later after their foreign ministers held talks in Cairo, where both countries expressed their desire to cultivate relations in all fields and promote integration.
In June 2022, Ambassador of Angola to Cairo Nelson Cosme told the media that Angola "will not forget" Egypt’s contributions, under the rule of late president Gamal Abdel Nasser, to the liberation of his country from Portuguese colonialism.
Continuing on his African tour, President el-Sisi arrived in Zambia on Thursday, where he is scheduled to attend the 22nd Summit of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and pass the rotating presidency to Lusaka. Egypt has chaired the organization since 2021.
El-Sisi's official trip to Africa will conclude with his visit to Mozambique, where he is expected to hold talks with President Filipe Nyusi.
