Sisi holds with Kerry in New Delhi

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Friday that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi held talks here on Thursday evening with US State Secretary John Kerry on means of boosting bilateral relations.

In press statements during his current visit accompanying president Sisi, the Egyptian top diplomat said that the talks touched on Washington's support for current talks between Egypt and the International Monetary Fund on obtaining a loan within the framework of the US's keenness on the stability of Egypt.

The two sides also took up the recent developments of some issues of common concern atop of which comes the files of Syria, Yemen and Libya.

Kerry briefed president Sisi on the outcome of Russian-US consultations on ending the Syrian crisis peacefully, said Shoukry, adding that president Sisi underlined Egypt's support for all efforts for settling the Syrian crisis peacefully and uprooting terrorism in Syria along with maintaining the sovereignty of the Syrian State and its territorial integrity.

The talks dealt with efforts exerted by the UN envoy to Yemen for ending the Yemeni crisis, he said, adding that recent developments in Libya were also tackled, with the two sides confirming the necessity of reaching a political consensus by the Libyan political parties concerned.

The Palestinian issue was also discussed at the meeting, said Shoukry, adding that the Palestinian cause is on top of the Egyptian foreign policy's priorities.

As for talks between president Sisi and Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, Shoukry noted that the talks dealt with means of promoting joint cooperation in several domains and political coordination for fighting the challenges of terrorism.

The Indian top diplomat floated her country's initiative for holding an international conference in the United Nations on terrorism, said Shoukry, adding that president Sisi asserted his support for all international efforts aimed at fighting terrorism, he added.

Source: MENA