BEIRUT: Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk Wednesday praised the “brotherly” relationship between Lebanon and Egypt after meeting his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo.
“[The minister] promised to visit Lebanon soon to hold discussions with the various political factions on how Egypt can help in easing the many problems facing Lebanon,” Machnouk told reporters after meeting with Egyptian Interior Minister Sameh Shukri.
Machnouk highlighted the longtime friendship between Egypt and Lebanon, saying Egypt is a “big brother” to Lebanon and all other Arab countries.
Machnouk was accompanied by the head of the Internal Security Forces Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Basbous and the Lebanese Ambassador to Egypt Khaled Ziada.
Machnouk later in the day also met with the U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, with whom he discussed the developments in the region.
According to the National News Agency, Egypt’s foreign minister and its head of General Intelligence Mohammad Farid al-Tahami will visit Lebanon soon.
Machnouk also said he commended Egypt for making progress in three areas: politics, religion and economy.
Upon kicking off his visit to Cairo, Machnouk said that Lebanon and Egypt would cooperate in fighting terrorism and extremism.
“We came to learn from the Egyptian experience,” Machnouk told reporters after a meeting with Egyptian Interior Minister Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ibrahim. “We have a joint enemy and it is terrorism and extremism, and we coordinated and will coordinate more and more.”
“Egyptian security and intelligence services have a track record of excellence,” Machnouk said. “So far Egyptian officials have shown utmost generosity and have been extremely responsive to [our requests] to train Lebanese officers in Egypt.”
Machnouk also met with the imam of Al-Azhar, the leading Sunni center of Islamic learning. After his meeting with Al-Azhar’s imam, Ahmad al-Tayeb, Machnouk said the institution has a major role to play in supporting moderation.
He said the fight against terrorism is a “confrontation between moderation and extremism, and is not a religious matter.”
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