General Mohamed Zaki, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Minister of Defense and Military Production, met with Mr. Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of Defense, and his accompanying delegation, during his visit to  Egypt last week.

An official reception ceremony was held at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Defense, and military music played the national anthems of both countries, the Ministry said in a statement.

The meeting dealt with a number of issues of common interest in light of the current regional and international developments and the increase in areas of military cooperation between the armed forces of both countries. In addition, the efforts of the Egyptian Armed Forces in the field of achieving security and stability in the region, as well as discussing the file of joint exercises between both Egypt and the United States of America.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces affirmed his pride in the visit of the US Secretary of Defense to Egypt, which comes as an extension of the well-established relations of partnership and fruitful cooperation with the United States of America in various military fields, and the Egyptian Armed Forces' keenness to increase cooperation and partnership in many fields in a way that meets the common interests of the two countries.

For his part, the US Secretary of Defense affirmed his country's keenness to enhance aspects of military relations with Egypt, as it is a pivotal and pioneering country in the region, as well as the role of Egypt in supporting security, stability and peace in the Middle East.

Furthermore, the US Secretary of Defense expressed his aspiration that the next stage will witness more cooperation in the military field.

Lieutenant General Osama Askar, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, and a number of Commanders of the armed forces of both countries attended the meeting.