CAIRO, July 20 -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump discussed during a phone conversation on Monday the recent developments in the war-torn Libya.
During the phone call, Sisi stressed Egypt's strategic stance towards the Libyan issue, which aims at "preserving the country's national institutions and preventing further deterioration of the security conditions by illegal foreign interventions," Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement.
He added that Sisi also affirmed that the foreign interventions only worsened the security situation in the oil-rich country, which consequently affected the regional stability and security.
For his part, Trump expressed his understanding of Egypt's concerns regarding the negative repercussions of the Libyan crisis on the region, praising the Egyptian efforts to solve the Libyan issue, Rady said.
The spokesman added that both leaders agreed to enforce a cease-fire and de-escalation in Libya to pave the way for reactivating dialogue and political solutions.
Rady revealed that Sisi and Trump exchanged visions on the recent developments of the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam (GERD) being built on the Nile River.
They have also highlighted the importance of continuing negotiations to reach a comprehensive agreement that achieves the interests of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.
On July 16, Sisi vowed that his country will not stand idle in face of any direct threats to the security of Egypt and Libya.
His remarks came after tribal leaders allied to the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Khalifa Haftar authorized him, during a meeting in Cairo, to intervene militarily in Libya.
Libya has been engaged in a civil war since the ouster and killing of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
The situation escalated in 2017, splitting power between two rival governments with warring forces: the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) based in the capital Tripoli and the LNA.
Egypt, Russia and the United Arab Emirates support Haftar's LNA, while the GNA is mainly backed by Turkey and Qatar.