Uachtarán na hÉireann, President Michael D. Higgins this morning met with the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, at a courtesy call in Áras an Uachtaráin.
At their meeting, the two Heads of State discussed a number of topics of common interest. These included the current situation in the Middle East and surrounding region, including in Gaza and recent events in Syria.
The outrageous suffering in the absence of a ceasefire in Gaza was the central part of their discussion, including the arrangements for eight children and their families from Gaza who are currently in Cairo and will shortly be medically evacuated to Ireland for treatment through the Union Civil Protection Mechanism. This follows a request from the World Health Organisation.
Other topics discussed by the two Presidents included some consular issues, human rights, food security, and matters of cultural heritage.
President el-Sisi’s delegation included, among others, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Expatriates, Dr Badr Ahmed Mohamed Abdelatty; the Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Hassan Mohamed Hassan Elkhatib; and the Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Ireland, H.E. Mohamed Sarwat Selim.
