Tillerson visits Egypt's Sisi at start of Mideast tour

By Safvan Allahverdi

WASHINGTON

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on Monday, the State Department said.

"They discussed our two countries’ shared commitment to fight terrorism in all its forms, and particularly to continue our efforts as members of the global coalition to defeat ISIS [Daesh], Spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement, describing the meeting as "productive".

Nauert said they also agreed to pursue a new joint strategic dialogue along with enhancing already strong ties, including economic and commercial links between Washington and Cairo.

Issues of "mutual concern" were also discussed, she said.

Tillerson will also travel to Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, and Kuwait.

In Turkey, he will meet with senior officials to discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues.

He will also lead the U.S. delegation to the ministerial meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh to be hosted by Kuwait.