Netanyahu and Al-Sisi have close ties, says Israeli ambassador to Egypt

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi have close ties that are based on trust and mutual respect, Israel’s ambassador in Cairo, David Govrin, has said. The ambassador made his comment in a speech at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv on Thursday evening.

Govrin urged the leaderships in Israel and Egypt to “present the fruits of peace to the Israeli and Egyptian people so that opponents of peace would not be able to cast doubt over the necessity of the peace agreement, even demanding that it be abrogated.”

However, he was critical; of the government in Cairo. “The Egyptian government prefers not to pursue civilian and economic cooperation with Israel for domestic political reasons, even though such ties would be beneficial to Egypt.” He pointed out that civilian cooperation between Israel and Egypt has shrunk considerably in recent years. Govrin added.

“This is because of the Arab Spring and the takeover of the [Israeli] embassy in Cairo,”

In response to the ambassador’s statements, Israel’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said: “Israel attaches supreme importance to its relations with Egypt and is committed to advancing them at every level.”