Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi expressed his country’s aspiration to coordinate with the United Nations to enhance its role in addressing issues for developing countries. He pointed out that deepening strategic partnership between the African Union (AU) and the UN is a priority for the current Egyptian presidency for the AU in order to achieve progress in the field of post-conflict reconstruction and development in Africa. His comments were made during a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD). Guterres referred to the successful Egyptian efforts to preside over the African Union this year, said presidential spokesman Bassam Radi, adding that he also expressed the UN’s keenness to enhance and support cooperation with Egypt to establish foundations of peace, stability, and development at the regional level. He also praised Egypts pivotal role in Africa and the Middle East, its continued support for UN reform initiatives on various levels, as well as Egypts significant contribution to UN peacekeeping operations. The Egyptian presidency seeks achieving the AU’s objectives of “Silencing the Guns in Africa by the Year 2020” initiative and completing and enhancing the African peace and security structure to upgrade the continent’s capacities and mechanisms. This would maintain its security and stability, achieve concrete steps in the implementation of Africa’s 2063 agenda, and continue the progress made in the implementation of the continent’s 2030 agenda. Both sides also discussed the latest developments in a number of regional issues and, particularly with regard to developments in Libya and Syria. The UN official stressed the organizations keenness to bolster cooperation with Egypt to maintain regional peace and security in the Middle East and African (MENA) region. In this context, Sisi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe participated in the Afro-Japanese Business Forum on Thursday, on the sidelines of the three-day TICAD Summit, which was held on August 27.