Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met on Wednesday with a bipartisan delegation of US Congress members, led by Senators Lindsay Graham and Robert Menendez, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The meeting was attended by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and other officials.

The meeting reaffirmed the strong and long-standing strategic partnership between Egypt and the US and the importance of enhancing their relations at all levels, according to Ahmed Fahmy, the spokesperson for the presidency.

The meeting also discussed the ongoing negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Al-Sisi reiterated Egypt’s position of seeking a binding legal agreement on the filling and operation of the dam that respects the interests and concerns of all three countries.

Fahmy said that the meeting featured an open dialogue on ways to boost bilateral relations, especially in the economic sphere, and by increasing the investments of US companies in Egypt. The meeting also addressed Egypt’s efforts to combat terrorism and extremism, promote human rights, and foster religious tolerance, coexistence, and citizenship.

On regional and international issues, the meeting tackled several topics, including the Russian-Ukrainian crisis and its geopolitical and economic implications, ways to enhance international peace and security, as well as developments in Sudan, Libya, and Syria. The meeting agreed on the need to expedite political solutions to these crises that preserve the unity, sovereignty, and resources of these countries while highlighting the positive and vital role of Egypt in this regard.

Additionally, the meeting dealt with developments in the Palestinian issue, where Al-Sisi affirmed Egypt’s firm stance on the necessity of advancing international efforts to reach a just and comprehensive solution that guarantees the rights of the Palestinian people and their independent state per international resolutions.

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