Egypt, Sudan leaders stress need to set differences aside, further ties

The presidents of Egypt and Sudan on Saturday stressed the importance of setting differences aside, alleviating obstacles standing in the path of bilateral relations, and building upon these ties.
A solitary meeting between the two in Egypt was followed by full-scale delegation talks, during which Egypt's Abdelfatah Al-Sisi said that both nations bore a huge responsibility in achieving the aspirations of their people and improving their economic status.
According to his spokesman Alaa Yousef, he also said that existing brotherly ties between the neighbouring countries should be utilized in furthering these relations - a point his Sudanese counterpart Omar Al-Bashir agreed with.
The Sudanese president praised Egypt's "effective role" in Arab and African affairs, adding that Cairo represents a "cornerstone" for peace and war efforts in the Arab region.
He hailed Egypt's stances in regards to his nation, particularly its lifting of sanctions on Khartoum.
The security of the two nations is inter-linked, he said, adding that Sudan was committed to not harming the security and interests of Egypt.
Al-Bashir, in agreement with Al-Sisi, proposed to raise the level of the joint committee talks to presidential, with both sides taking turns to host these talks on an annual basis.
Both sides discussed increasing trade exchange after the opening of a new Qastal-Ashkeet land border crossing, along with the possibility of establishing a joint free-trade zone.
Sudan urged that any existing agreements be enacted, particularly as Egypt, the fourth largest global investor in Sudan, could climb up two notches to second if currently incomplete projects are executed.
The two sides also discussed the latest developments on the political crisis in Libya, in light of both being members of the consultative panel of neighbouring countries of the North African nation.
Al-Sisi, for his part, affirmed Egypt's support of the free choices of the Libyan people and legitimate institutions in the country, mainly the state military.
Meanwhile, both sides saw eye-to-eye on the need to reach a political resolution in Libya and Syria, which is also witnessing violent clashes between the government and opposition, in order to achieve political stability and security that safeguards the legitimate rights of their peoples.
They also praised the scale of cooperation reached on the Eastern Nile River Basin during trilateral talks with Ethiopia on Reconnaissance Dam, stressing that the river should be a joint source of development for all of the sharing nations.