CAIRO — Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi received on March 26 his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, in a visit that Egyptian officials and observers believe is an important step toward repositioning Cairo in the Nile Basin region and which constitutes another factor of pressure on Ethiopia amid the ongoing crisis over the latter’s controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

The two leaders had a private discussion followed by talks between delegations from the two countries. Sisi and Kagame then attended the signing of memoranda of understanding between their countries in the fields of diplomatic training, youth and sports, museums and information technology.

According to a statement by the office of the Egyptian Presidency, Sisi stressed during the meeting with Kagame Egypt's keenness to consolidate strategic cooperation with Rwanda in various fields and form a joint committee between the two countries as soon as possible.

The statement said that the two presidents agreed on the importance of engaging in a constructive and effective dialogue to boost strategic cooperation between the Nile Basin countries and achieve comprehensive development for all the peoples of the region.