LONDON: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa on Saturday in Egypt’s Sharm El-Sheikh, the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement.

The pair discussed bilateral ties and regional and international developments, the statement added.

During the meeting, which also discussed joint cooperation particularly in the fields of investment and economy, El-Sisi expressed Egypt’s keenness to strengthen cooperation and coordination to help the region confront current challenges.

King Hamad praised Egypt’s role in ensuring security and stability in the region and highlighted the historic ties his country has with Egypt, while noting the improvement of ties between Manama and Cairo in various economic, political and developmental fields, adding that Bahrain is keen on strengthening these relations.

El-Sisi and King Hamad welcomed the upcoming summit being hosted by Saudi Arabia next month during US President Joe Biden’s visit to the Kingdom.

The summit will bring together Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders, Jordan’s King Abdullah, El-Sisi and Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi as well as Biden.