President Abdel Fattah El Sisi stressed the importance of benefiting from three trade agreements signed with African countries topped by the agreement reached recently in Sharm El Sheikh between the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development community (SADC).

During a meeting on Monday with a delegation representing newspapers in some African countries, the president said he has been keen since coming to power on openness to Africa and boosting ties with African countries.

Presidential Spokesman Alaa Youssef said the president welcomed the African journalists during the meeting which came days after the inauguration of the new Suez Canal project.

He said the president affirmed the new project is in parallel with the efforts to boost transport movement including the project of linking Lake Victoria to the Mediterranean.

The president discussed with African journalists aspects of cooperation between Egypt and African states, pointing out that such cooperation is not restricted to technical support to them but also extended to important partnerships, added the spokesman.

He said the president pointed out that the cancer hospital in Egypt received 600 medics from the Nile basin countries who received training during the past three years.

The president stressed the importance of cooperation in the fields of combating terrorism and said the terror combat must not be restricted to security but rather must be through economic and social issues.

President Sisi said the state respects and appreciates the role of the media and did not put restrictions on the press, pointing out that there are no journalists imprisoned in cases dealing with the freedom of expression.

Sisi said that Egypt respects human rights and protects its citizens from any aggression and also provides vital economic and social rights such as the right to education and health.

He praised the role of Al Azhar in Africa and said that Egypt is ready to meet the needs of the African countries of Muslim preachers and imams to spread the upright teachings of Islam in the continent.