Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and US President Donald Trump met on Wednesday on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Évian in France to review several shared bilateral and regional issues.
The meeting between el-Sisi and Trump comes at a highly sensitive diplomatic juncture, with the signing of a major agreement between the US and Iran scheduled for Friday in Geneva.
While the impending US-Iran accord dominated their discussions, the bilateral meeting also focused on relations between Cairo and Washington, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and foreign investment in Egypt.
Ahead of their formal discussions, el-Sisi extended his congratulations to the US leader on the upcoming 250th anniversary of American independence.
“Egypt is fully committed to continuing the development and strengthening of the strategic partnership that binds us to the United States across all sectors,” the Egyptian president stated.
The two leaders agreed to intensify political consultations and coordination on various pressing regional issues to promote peace and prosperity across the Middle East.
El-Sisi emphasized that “Egypt highly appreciates these continuous efforts to restore peace and stability in the Middle East.”
Commenting on the diplomatic breakthrough, Trump said, “prices will recover and we are going to see an overall drop in market rates,” highlighting the direct positive impact of this de-escalation on the global economy.
The Egyptian head of state formally welcomed the development, hailing it as a “historic breakthrough” and expressing his gratitude to the American president for securing the agreement between the United States and Iran.
“The memorandum of understanding with Iran does not include immediate sanctions relief, and Washington will not be injecting any funds into Iran,” Trump clarified, according to a live broadcast provided by the Egyptian presidency on its YouTube channel.
Trump further assured that the rumoured $300 billion package remains completely frozen, asserting that the United States “would not give ten cents to Tehran.”
Beyond the Iranian issue, the meeting highlighted the enduring strength of the Cairo-Washington axis. Trump used the G7 platform to issue a formal appeal to the international community, “expressly inviting all allied nations to intensify and strengthen their economic investments in Egypt.”
The previous day, President el-Sisi had urged leaders assembled at the G7 summit to back a comprehensive approach to peace in the Middle East and to accelerate initiatives aimed at stabilizing the region, while praising Washington’s mediation efforts on multiple fronts.
AK/Sf/lb/jn/APA