Russian Security Council secretary, Egyptian president discuss anti-terrorism efforts

CAIRO, March 2. /TASS/. Issues of anti-terrorism efforts and closer cooperation in rebuffing this threat were in the focus of talks between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and visiting Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev, Egyptian president’s spokesperson Alaa Youssef said on Monday. He said the Egyptian president had highly assessed the position of Russia and its leader Vladimir Putin on "support to Egypt and the will of its people" and stressed that the "Egyptian-Russian ties are historically strong and are distinguished by stability." "Egypt has always wanted to maintain and develop them in all areas," President el-Sisi said. The Egyptian president also noted the importance of the "comprehensive anti-terrorism strategy that must not be reduced only to measures on ensuring security or the military component, but take into account development aspects both in economic and social terms." He said it was necessary to create an atmosphere of "tolerance, peaceful co-existence and mutual respect" and to "get rid of any false ideas that run counter to real Islam." "If the current state of things is left unattended, it might trigger further growth of extremism and terror," he said. "It is necessary to attend to the causes that trigger the growth of these threats," first of all "poverty and ignorance." According to Youssef, Patrushev, in turn, noted the "positive development of relations between Moscow and Cairo in the light of exchange of visits between the two countries at the top level" and commended the "positive results of the Russian president’s recent visit to Egypt." Read more