- Title: Merkel and Sisi discuss migration at Cairo meeting
- Date: 2nd March 2017
- Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (MARCH 2, 2017) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL AND EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT ABDEL FATTAH AL-SISI AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN CHANCELLOR, ANGELA MERKEL, SAYING (ON STOPPING HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND SMUGGLING OF MIGRANTS): "We have a mutual interest to prevent that. Talks continued on coope
- Embargoed: 16th March 2017 16:48
- Keywords: Merkel Sisi Germany Egypt bilateral
- Location: CAIRO, EGYPT
- City: CAIRO, EGYPT
- Country: Egypt
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001669P6X3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pledged on Thursday (March 2) to find new solutions for tackling the refugee crisis.
Merkel visited Cairo during a tour of north Africa to expand trade and investment ties. Germany has made strengthening economic development in Africa a priority of its presidency of the G20 group of industrialised countries this year.
At a joint news conference with Sisi, the German leader spoke of "improving technical infrastructure" along Egypt's coastal borders and preventing tragic accidents by tightening immigration policy.
Merkel, who is campaigning to win a fourth term in office in national elections in September, will however need to balance public concerns about alleged human rights abuses in Egypt and across the region.
Sisi defended his actions to reporters while standing alongside Merkel.
"If you were faced with, and we don't wish that upon you, if you were faced with this amount of threats, and the attacks that Egypt has faced, over the past 40 months, and you've had hundreds die, hundreds of Egyptians, your reaction against the perpetrators would've been very very harsh," he said.
Amnesty International urged Merkel to press Sisi to revoke restrictions on human rights activists.
The chancellor will next visit Tunisia as part of a broader push to boost German investment in Africa, as well as slowing the flow of migrants into Europe and increase intelligence-sharing to combat Islamic terrorism. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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