CAIRO, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian met here on Thursday to discuss efforts to strengthen bilateral relations and restore peace in the region, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.
During a meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the 11th Summit of the Developing Eight (D-8) Organization for Economic Cooperation, Sisi stressed the importance of defusing regional tensions and avoiding escalation, urging all parties to act wisely in order to protect the region from dangerous confrontations that could have serious repercussions on peace and security in the Middle East and the world as a whole.
The meeting also touched on the situation in Palestine, with a review of Egypt's efforts to implement a ceasefire and deliver humanitarian aid into the enclave.
The two sides also exchanged views on the developments in Lebanon and Syria.
Earlier in the day, Pezeshkian stressed during the summit that the D-8 countries should take concrete and practical steps to put an end to the Israeli "aggressions" against Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria.
Pezeshkian is the first Iranian president to visit Egypt in 11 years. ■
