Ashraf AboArafe
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi welcomed his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, during the latter’s visit to Egypt. This came during the joint press conference, where President El-Sisi delivered a speech that came as follows:
In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful
His Excellency Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan,
Firstly, I would like to express my pleasure in receiving Your Excellency and the delegation accompanying you on an important visit, which reflects the interest of the two countries in strengthening their bilateral relations during the coming period based on the historical ties extending between them. I am also pleased, in this context, to extend to Your Excellency my congratulations on your election as President of the Republic of Azerbaijan for a new term, as well. For the confidence your country has in hosting and organizing the twenty-ninth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, I wish you and your friendly country every success.
Ladies and gentlemen, attendees,
The discussions I held today with His Excellency the President confirm our aspiration to continue working together to strengthen bilateral relations between our two countries in various fields, and political coordination on regional and international issues of common interest, as well as advancing our economic and trade relations, by taking advantage of the capabilities available to both of them, in particular In the sectors: construction, transportation, communications and information technology, food and pharmaceutical industries, and oil and gas.
We also agreed, during our discussions today, on the importance of maintaining the regularity of holding rounds of political consultations between the two countries, and we also looked forward to holding the meetings of the sixth session of the “Egyptian-Azerbaijani Joint Committee for Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation” as soon as possible, in addition to organizing the “Egyptian-Azerbaijani Businessmen Forum.” This contributes to pushing economic and trade relations between the two countries towards greater cooperation during the coming period.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Regional issues were strongly present in my discussions with His Excellency the Azerbaijani President, and at the heart of them was the Palestinian issue, which Egypt considers to be the core of the region’s issues. During our discussions, I reviewed Egyptian efforts to implement humanitarian aid to the people of the Gaza Strip and reach a ceasefire, so that we could move towards establishing a state. Palestinian sovereignty over the lines of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the relevant international legitimacy resolutions, bringing peace and coexistence to the region, instead of wars, destruction and devastation.
In the same context, I affirmed to His Excellency the President during the discussions Egypt’s support for all initiatives aimed at achieving peace and stability in the South Caucasus region, and our full support for dialogue and negotiation to achieve a just and comprehensive peace. In this regard, I am interested in praising the progress achieved recently with regard to the file of border demarcation between Azerbaijan and Armenia. This allows the launch of a new phase of development and achieves the interests of the peoples of the region.
Ladies and Gentelmen,
In conclusion, I renew my welcome to His Excellency President Aliyev, hoping that the coming period will witness a breakthrough in the path of strengthening and developing joint cooperation between our two countries in all fields, in order to complement the friendly and historical relations that bind our two friendly peoples.
Thank you very much
