Nile water a matter of life or death to Egypt: Al-Sisi

Daily News Egypt
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President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi headed to the Rwandan capital city Kigali Tuesday, to hold discussions with the Rwandan President Paul Kagame. After his arrival, Al-Sisi visited the memorial of the victims of the genocide in Rwanda and the museum which documents the genocide which has happened in the nineteenth of the last century, according to a statement from the presidency.

On Monday, Al-Sisi headed to Tanzania in a four-day tour to four African countries include Rwanda, Gabon, and Chad, as part of Egyptian keenness on boosting its relations with the other African countries.

In July 2016, the president visited Rwanda for the first time during his presidency, to attending the African summit. Egypt also received several Rwandan ministers to attend regional and bilateral meetings.

Al-Sisi expressed Egypt’s proud of its relations with Tanzania during his meetings with Tanzanian President John Magufuli in the Tanzanian capital city, Dodoma, according to a statement from the presidency.

The president asserted Egypt’s support for the Nile Basin countries with Egyptian technical experts to achieving development in these countries, stressing Egypt’s keenness to achieving the maximum benefit from the Nile River for all Nile Basin countries without harming Egypt’s water interests, and taking into consideration the Egyptian concerns in this regard as a death and life matter, the statement read.

According to the statement, the Tanzanian President expressed his country’s understanding of the importance of the Nile River for Egypt as the main source of water, expressing his trust in Nile Basin countries to reach an agreement that all parties would accept.

The visit is the first that an Egyptian president visits Tanzania since 1968.

Al-Sisi pointed out that Egypt’s foreign policy basis on not intervening in other countries’ internal affairs, not plotting, and working for resolving problems by negotiations and cooperation to achieve peace and development.

Egypt is looking forward to boosting relationships with Tanzania in all fields, in light of the big economic abilities in the two countries. He also asserted the importance of working on boosting cooperation between the private sector in the two countries, pointing out to the successful activities by the Egyptian companies working in Tanzania, and Egypt’s hope to maximise cooperation between Egyptian and Tanzanian companies in fields of common farms and manufacturing agricultural products in addition to fishing, fauna, mining, and medical industry, according to the statement.

The two sides discussed several regional and bilateral issues, such as confronting terrorism, and the exerted efforts for achieving development in Nile Basin countries.

The Tanzanian President praised the level of relations between his country and Egypt, asserting his country’s keenness on boosting this relations especially in economic and commercial fields. Magufuli also expressed his appreciation for the Egyptian technical support in digging wells, and the Egyptian butchery which helps in meeting the Egyptian demand on meet.

At the end of the meeting, Al-Sisi invited his Tanzanian counterpart to visit Egypt to participate in the international conference for youth and Africa 2017 forum which set to be hold in November and December, the invitation was welcomed by Magufuli.

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