Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi affirmed Sunday that Egypt is constantly working to uphold the principles of citizenship and equality among all its citizens without discrimination, state-run news agency MENA reported.
El-Sisi added that Egypt is also keen on consolidating a culture of pluralism and acceptance, presidency spokesperson Alaa Youssef said in a statement.
These statements came during a meeting between El-Sisi and a delegation from the American National Council of Churches (NCC) in Cairo, attended by Egypt s foreign minister, Sameh Shoukry, and the head of Anglican Church of Egypt, Andrea Zaki.
The meeting tackled ways to combat terrorism, with the American delegation praising Egyptian efforts to fight extremist ideas and consolidate coexistence between all Egyptian citizens.
El-Sisi underlined that extremist ideas do not represent Islam, adding that Islam calls for tolerance, peace and freedom of belief.
NCC representatives also expressed their solidarity with Egypt in the fight against terrorism and appreciation for Egyptian efforts to renew religious discourse.
El-Sisi said that it is important to unify efforts to combat terrorism on all levels, including the cultural and intellectual levels, in parallel to the military and security levels.
He also asserted the importance of supporting stability and state institutions in the region, in order to block the growth of terrorism and resist the machinations of countries and groups that finance and support terrorism.
El-Sisi has also highlighted Egypt s willingness to receive delegations representing all sectors of American society, in order to "consolidate communication and build bridges of understanding between the two countries around the means to confront various challenges."
