CAIRO, July 21 (NNN-MENA) – Egyptian President, Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, and his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, discussed during a phone conversation on Monday, recent developments in war-torn Libya.
During the phone call, Sisi stressed Egypt’s strategic stance towards the Libyan issue, which aims at “preserving the country’s national institutions and preventing further deterioration of the security conditions, by illegal foreign interventions,” Egyptian Presidential Spokesman, Bassam Rady, said in a statement.
He added that Sisi also affirmed that, foreign interventions only worsened the security situation in the oil-rich country, which consequently affected regional stability and security.
For his part, Trump expressed his understanding of Egypt’s concerns regarding the negative repercussions of the Libyan crisis on the region, praising the Egyptian efforts to solve the Libyan issue, Rady said.
The spokesman added that both leaders agreed to enforce a cease-fire and de-escalation in Libya, to pave the way for reactivating dialogue and political solutions.
Rady revealed that Sisi and Trump exchanged visions, on the recent developments of the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam (GERD), being built on the Nile River.
They also highlighted the importance of continuing negotiations to reach a comprehensive agreement that achieves the interests of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.
On July 16, Sisi vowed that his country will not stand idle in face of any direct threats to the security of Egypt and Libya.
His remarks came after tribal leaders, allied to the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Khalifa Haftar authorised him, during a meeting in Cairo, to intervene militarily in Libya.
Egypt, Russia and the United Arab Emirates support Haftar’s LNA, while the GNA is mainly backed by Turkey and Qatar.– NNN-MENA
