Presidential spokesman Alaa Youssef said Monday President Abdel Fattah El Sisi held a 90-minute meeting with his Slovenian counterpart Borut Pahor, before taking part in an expanded talks session with the participation of the two countries' delegations. 

Sisi affirmed Egypt's keenness to boost relations with Slovenia in various fields, especially the economic ties that do not match distinguished political relations between the two countries, he added.

The president expressed the hope the Egyptian-Slovenian business forum, due to convene Tuesday, would give the necessary impetus to economic relations between the two countries, the spokesman said.

For his part, the visiting president said he was happy to be the first Slovenian president to visit Cairo since his country's independence in 1991, adding that he had paid several visits to Egypt, including one as a prime minister in 2009, the spokesman added.

Pahor affirmed his keenness to boost relations with Egypt in the various fields, being an important partner for the European Union's Member States and a main player with regard to security and stability in the Middle East.

He expressed the hope that the visit would give a new impetus to the development of economic relations and trade exchange between the two countries.

The Slovenian president also affirmed his eagerness to consult with Sisi on the region's crises, especially as they are directly affecting the security and stability of Europe, the spokesman said.

Sisi reviewed developments on the the internal arena, and the security and stability achieved in the country thanks to the awareness of the Egyptian people.

He briefed the Slovenian president on the economic reform program implemented by the government to overcome the chronic problems of the Egyptian economy, hailing the Egyptian people's reaction to the measures taken in this regard.

At the regional level, the talks tackled developments with regard to the crisis faced by some countries in the region, especially in Syria and Libya, calling for strengthening regional and international efforts to reach a political solution to each crisis to restore security and stability in these countries and the region as a whole.

During the meeting, Sisi received an invitation from his Slovenian counterpart to pay an official visit to Slovenia as part of efforts to boost bilateral relations in the various fields.

Source: MENA