CAIRO — Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi held talks Sunday with Iraq’s prime minister in Cairo as the two countries seek to deepen ties and reinforce a regional alliance with Jordan.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani arrived in Cairo on Sunday for his first visit to Egypt, as part of efforts to enhance relations between the two countries, reports Anadolu Agency.
Al-Sudani held a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi following his arrival, a presidential statement said, without providing any further details about the content of their talks.
Al-Sudani’s office said the discussions between the two sides dwelt on ways to strengthen bilateral relations and issues of mutual concern.
The trip marked al-Sudani’s first to Cairo since his Cabinet was approved by the Iraqi parliament in October, ending a yearlong political stalemate. Al-Sudani’s predecessor, former Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, had forged a close relationship with el-Sissi and King Abdullah II of Jordan.
El-Sissi traveled to Baghdad in June 2021, becoming the first Egyptian head of state to visit Iraq since the 1990s, when ties between the two countries were severed after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait.
Al-Kadhimi has also sought to strengthen his country’s standing in the Middle East as a mediator capable of bringing even the staunchest of foes to the negotiating table. Baghdad recently hosted talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia that were focused on mending ties between the two regional foes, and on the war in Yemen.
