Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu touted Israel-Egypt relations on Wednesday, saying both countries shared strategic regional interests and cooperated on multiple fronts.
Netanyahu made the remarks at an event marking Egypt's national day, hosted by the Egyptian Ambassador to Israel Khaled Azmi at his residence.
"We're celebrating 40 years of peace between Israel and Egypt. On the 40th year of our peace, we hope to achieve many other things between us and in our region. We have to understand the historic achievement of having this peace approach now the fifth decade," Netanyahu said. "It has had to weather some storms. It is weathering storms now. I don't mean between us, I mean a storm that is ravishing our region right now and seeks to impose on us an unforgiving, violent creed."
Video: Omer Meron/GPO
Netanyahu said both Egypt and Israel and "many others in the region" were united in the battle against extremism and terrorism in the region. He went on to tout the accomplishments the Egyptian government garnered in the fight to eradicate Islamic State and other terrorist groups.
"I want to commend my friend and colleague, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, for standing strong against this tide of extremism and terrorism, and I want to say that it's not obvious that it is possible in the face of so much and so many assaults to stand firm, but President el-Sissi and Egypt have stood firm, as has our peace. Our peace is the cornerstone, exactly as you said, of peace and stability in the region. We cannot imagine what our region would be without this peace."
Netanyahu said that he has been impressed by el-Sissi's policies and actions, saying his successful stewardship of the country was evident in their face-to-face encounters. Netanyahu said he was "impressed not only by his leadership but also by his wisdom" and added that he gleaned "insights about the nature of the challenge that we face" during those meetings.
"We cooperate in many areas that can increase the economic well-being of our two nations. There is now I think Israeli gas flowing into Egypt, an experimental effort. In four months, there'll be more," Netanyahu said.
