Joint statement issued calling for foreign fighters to leave Libya Both sides agree to continue coordinating with regard to Ethiopia’s Renaissance Dam CAIRO: In a joint statement on Wednesday, Egypt and Sudan stressed the need for foreign forces, mercenaries and fighters to leave Libya. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received Lt-Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, head of the Sudanese Transitional Sovereignty Council, at Al-Ittihadiya Palace on Wednesday. The two sides stressed “the need to preserve Libya’s stability, unity and territorial integrity,” and affirmed “support for all efforts aimed at reaching a political solution, and for all Libyan parties to agree to move towards the future in the interest of Libya and its people without any dictates or external interventions, as well as the importance of supporting the role of Libyan state institutions and assuming their responsibilities.” They also discussed Ethiopia’s Renaissance Dam, saying “a consensus was reached on the continuation of intensive consultation and mutual coordination in this context during the coming period, emphasizing the paramount importance of the water issue for the Egyptian and Sudanese peoples as a matter of national security.” The two sides discussed the need for a legal, fair and binding agreement on filling and operating the dam in a manner that achieves the common interests of all parties. The Egyptian side affirmed Cairo’s “full awareness of the delicate situation that Sudan is currently going through, and the need for joint action so that the current developments on the international arena do not affect efforts to support Sudan to achieve political, security and economic stability.” Egypt said it will continue to send “aid packages and logistical and humanitarian support to Sudan, in addition to providing technical support to Sudanese cadres and activating all bilateral cooperation programs, based on Egypt’s unlimited support for Sudan in all fields and at various levels, as well as the close link to Egyptian and Sudanese national security.”