Cairo, February 24, 2022, SPA -- Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for Arab States, Dr. Nayef Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf affirmed the importance and centrality of GCC-Egyptian relations in realizing security, stability and development, in addition to defending the interests of Arab and Islamic nations. The GCC Secretary General referred to the historical and strategic relations between the GCC countries and Egypt, which receive the attention of leaders of GCC countries and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, out of close ties existing between the leaders and peoples of GCC countries and Egypt and the solid historical relations between the two sides. These remarks were made during a meeting between Dr. Al-Hajraf and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry at the ministry’s headquarters in the Egyptian capital Cairo. The meeting addressed close relations between the GCC and Egypt, and means to support and enhance them in various fields. The two sides reviewed issues and latest developments of mutual interest at the regional and international arenas. Both sides also stressed the ongoing consultation and coordination between the GCC and Egypt in a way that supports and enhances security and stability in the region and the entire world, in order to realize the aspirations of their peoples and serve the interests of the Arab and Islamic nations. The two sides also signed a memorandum of understanding between the GCC Secretariat General and the Egyptian Foreign Ministry with the aim of enhancing cooperation between the two sides within an institutional framework to achieve joint goals and boost cooperation aspects to wider scopes in the political, economic and cultural fields. The memorandum also includes a joint action plan, through which, specialized technical committees will work and refer periodic reports to follow up on the implementation of the memorandum’s fields in a way that achieves envisioned targets. --SPA 18:07 LOCAL TIME 15:07 GMT 0021 www.spa.gov.sa/w1696404