Visiting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has said India and Egypt must work towards greater cooperation on terrorism, even as he told External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj that he wished to take anti-terror cooperation to a “whole new level.”

“Egypt and India are stabilizing forces in their regions,” President Sisi, who landed in Delhi on Thursday, said in exclusive comments to The Hindu newspaper.

“There is a mutual keenness to further enhance our cooperation in this important aspect of our bilateral relations, particularly in light of the emerging threats our respective regions are facing,” he added.

Responding to questions from The Hindu about the nature of India-Egypt cooperation, Sisi offered support to Delhi at the U.N.’s committee on terror.

“One important forum for collaboration and coordination in this area [terrorism] at the multilateral level is the Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), of which Egypt is currently president,” Sisi said.

“We have undertaken many activities within the committee as well as the General Assembly in order to boost coordination among all countries against this common enemy that knows no religion or borders.”

On the issue of Syria, Sisi said: “Egypt believes that it is crucial for any political settlement to preserve the countries’ unity, territorial integrity, national institutions and resources. In parallel, a comprehensive approach to fight Daesh and other terrorist organisations, which share the same ideology, needs to be adopted, as well as enhancing cooperation to cut off their sources of funding and armament.”

Sisi is keen on attracting Indian investment into his $8.2-billion New Suez Canal project, which he called a “great opportunity” for India and Indian companies in Egypt.

Source: MENA