By: Ashraf Sadek CAIRO, May 1, 2018 - Egypt is keen on bolstering its strategic ties with the United States in all domains that will serve the best interests of the two countries, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said on Tuesday. At his meeting with a visiting team of the US Jewish Institute for National Security, who are interested in promoting American-Egyptian relations, President Sisi reiterated his call for continuing Cairo contacts with all members of the US society. These contacts aim at enhancing bilateral understanding and consultations over the best means of combating regional challenges on top of which are terrorism and extremist thought, President Sisi told the team members. The members have also affirmed to President Sisi the importance of American-Egyptian relations and expressed their full appreciation to the key efforts that were being exerted by the Cairo government in trying to resolve the current crises through which the Middle East was passing, Presidency Spokesman Ambassador Bassam Radi said in his roundup of the meeting. The members praised Egypt's key role in fighting terrorism in general and hailed the comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018, which President Sisi launched on February 9. The massive operation targets terrorist and criminal organisations in Central and Northern Sinai as well as areas in the Nile Delta and the Western Desert. Ambassador Radi said that the delegation members, who also praised President Sisi's efforts to combat extremist thought and achieve development, hailed the economic reforms that had been adopted by the Cairo government two years ago. The team has also agreed that Egypt has been witnessing positive developments, which indicate that the Egyptian economy was recovering, he added. The meeting, which was attended by the acting head of the General Intelligence Agency, also dealt with the latest regional and international developments of mutual concern as well as Egypt's efforts to resolve the current crises which are facing some countries of the region, Ambassador Radi said. President Sisi stressed that these efforts should work on maintaining the governments of these countries while supporting their national institutions so that they could undertake their responsibilities towards preserving security and combating terrorism, the Presidency Spokesman said. Also tabled for discussion at the meeting were the Egyptian efforts for pushing forward the Middle East peace process, where President Sisi expressed his full support to all initiatives that aimed at reaching a comprehensive and just settlement to the Palestinian Cause, Ambassador Radi added. President Sisi said that the Palestinian problem was the main cause of the whole Arab World, adding that it should be solved in accordance with the two-state solution, which had been approved by the international community. President Sisi affirmed to the team members that solving the Palestinian problem would help create a new status in the Middle East and realize permanent stability and security in the whole region, Ambassador Radi said.
