ISTANBUL

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi expressed gratitude Wednesday to US President Donald Trump for supporting Egypt on the Nile water issue, while also urging Washington to maintain its role in efforts to end the war in Gaza.

Speaking during a meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Sisi said he appreciated the US president’s backing of Egypt’s position on water security.

“I thank President Trump for his support to Egypt on the water issue,” he said, according to remarks released by the state-run Al-Qahera News channel.

Trump said on Jan. 16 that the US was ready to restart mediation efforts between Egypt and Ethiopia over the long-running dispute.

The Nile River, spanning approximately 6,650 kilometers (4,132 miles) in length, is shared by 11 countries: Burundi, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sudan and Egypt.

The Ethiopian government inaugurated the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile on Sept. 9, 2025 after 14 years of construction, a project that has long been disputed by downstream nations Egypt and Sudan over its filling and operation.

Egypt and Sudan have long called on Ethiopia to reach a legally binding tripartite agreement on the filling and operation of the dam.

Separately, Sisi called on Trump to continue sponsoring his plan related to Gaza, saying Egypt is exerting “maximum possible effort” to ensure the success of endeavors aimed at ending the war. He credited Trump’s intervention with helping bring the Israeli genocide to an end.

“Were it not for President Trump’s efforts, the Gaza war would not have stopped,” Sisi said, adding that Egypt seeks continued US engagement until the plan is fully implemented.

The Egyptian president also congratulated Trump on “a successful year of achievements” and said Egypt welcomed participation in the Board of Peace under Trump’s leadership.

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that Cairo welcomes an invitation from Trump to Sisi to join the board.

The ministry said that Egypt “agrees to accept the invitation after completing the relevant legal and constitutional procedures.”

The creation of the board coincided with the launch of the second phase of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas that halted Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed more than 71,500 people and injured over 171,300 others since October 2023.

The initiative is part of a 20-point plan proposed by Trump and adopted by the UN Security Council under Resolution 2803 in November 2025.