President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met on Monday, Abune Matthias, the Patriarch of Ethiopia who is heading a senior delegation from the Ethiopian Church.
Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria and Fayza Aboul Naga, the presidential national security adviser, attended the meeting.
Presidential spokesperson Alaa Youssef said President Sisi stressed that Egypt hopes the people of Ethiopia achieve development and stability, and called for more cooperation to overcome the challenges facing the two countries.
Sisi also said that Egypt cannot stand against the right of the Ethiopian people to development, adding that the Nile is the source of development for Ethiopia and the source of life for Egypt.
He called for legal references that secure mutual interests and promote cooperation, pointing out that Egypt is opening to Africa, especially Ethiopia, with which there are promising opportunities for development and trade.
The Ethiopian patriarch pointed to the depth of the historical and religious relations between the two countries, stressing that these relations will remain forever, thanks to the great Nile River that God gave as a gift to both countries.
Pope Tawadros spoke of the historical relations between the Egyptian and the Ethiopian churches that date back to the fourth century AD and that have always been characterized with love and cooperation. He also spoke of projects that the Coptic Church implemented in Ethiopia in order to push the development process, particularly in education and health.
He said all efforts should aim to enhance cooperation between the two peoples and preserve their common interests in the Nile waters that God blessed them with.
“Water and air are blessings that God gives all human beings, not a certain people of a particular nation or religion,” he said, to which Patriarch Matthias agreed. “What God brings together man must not divide.”
Matthias said he is looking forward to Sisi visiting Addis Ababa, which the president welcomed.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
