Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi launched on Tuesday an Egyptian-Bulgarian joint business council with a mission to enhance the joint cooperation, increase investments and trade exchange which exceed $1bn.

Al-Sisi added during a joint press conference with the Bulgarian President, Rumen Radev, that the council came as a result of Radev’s October visit to Cairo, during which both agreed on opening new windows toward mutual cooperation.

Furthermore, both leaders addressed security coordination in order to combat terrorism and illegal immigration, as well as the significance of international efforts aimed to entirely eliminate extremism.

Moreover, Al-Sisi reviewed the Egyptian vision and its comprehensive strategy on counterterrorism, in particular combating bodies and countries which support terrorist and extremist groups.

Meanwhile, the president also referred to the Egyptian hospitality toward “a large number” of refugees, which reflects its understanding of the challenges facing the region. 

For Radev, he announced that both discussed enhancing industrial and military cooperation in the fields of tourism, maritime transportation, and energy.

On the other hand, Al-Sisi met with Chinese State Councillor and Minister of National Defence, Wei Fenghe, in the presence of the Egyptian Defence Minister, Mohamed Zaki. The meeting tackled the enhancement of military and security cooperation, joint drills, and counterterrorism.

It also discussed international and regional issues of common interest and joint cooperation.

Moreover, Al-Sisi expressed his support toward the Belt and Road Initiative which targets enhancing economic and trade cooperation between Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.