13/01/2020 (Agence Europe) – The President of the European Council, Charles Michel and the Egyptian President, Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi, agreed on Sunday 12 January at a meeting in Cairo, to “further strengthen the partnership between the EU and Egypt”. Thus, beyond their discussion on the situation in the Middle East and in Libya, the two Presidents had “a fruitful exchange on the current state of bilateral relations and shared the objective of sustainable socio-economic stability and development”, according to a European Council communiqué. “The EU understands the complexity of the situation with regard to security threats and challenges, but recalls the importance of respect for universal rights”, the statement said. The EU also acknowledged the efforts made by Cairo to manage migration flows and to receive refugees. At the end of 2018, Europeans had called for increased cooperation on illegal migration (see EUROPE 12100/1). (CG)