Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi discussed with his Portuguese counterpart, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, on Thursday regional issues, including the situation in Syria and Libya, and the means to fight terrorism. Sisi received de Sousa at the Ittahdyia Palace, where the two officials discussed efforts to combat terrorism and the means to counter the threats of extremist organizations. “Egypt pursues a comprehensive strategy to combat the abhorrent phenomenon of terrorism, by focusing not only on defense and national security, but also on resolving the security, cultural and economic aspects of this problem,” Sisi said during a joint news conference with his Portuguese counterpart following the meeting. The Portuguese president had arrived at Cairo International Airport on Wednesday night, heading a large delegation, on a three-day official visit to Egypt. The Egyptian-Portuguese Business Forum will be held on Friday evening, organized by the Egyptian Federation of Chambers of Commerce, in cooperation with the Portuguese Trade and Investment Agency. The Egyptian president said that he agreed with de Sousa to take advantage of the available opportunities and to speed up the activation of agreements and MoUs between the two countries, which will lead to a qualitative leap in the development of their partnership and increase the volume of trade exchange and mutual investments in various fields. He also underlined the need to increase coordination and cooperation to address challenges and confront common risks and threats. Ambassador Bassam Radi, spokesman for the Egyptian presidency, said that the Portuguese president emphasized his country’s aspiration to promote bilateral cooperation with Egypt in all fields, highlighting Cairo’s central role in establishing security and stability in the Middle East and the Mediterranean. Following the talks with Sisi, the Portuguese president met with Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayyeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, and visited Al-Azhar University, where he delivered a speech to Muslim clerics and students.