US President Joe Biden met with Egypt’s president in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since Biden took office in 2021.

Biden was heard thanking President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for Egypt’s role in a ceasefire to Israel’s war with Hamas last year in the Gaza Strip, an acknowledgement of Cairo’s role in the region.

“Looking forward to working with you on a whole range of issues,” Biden was heard also telling Sisi.

Sisi discussed food security and disruptions to energy supplies with Biden as they met for the first time on the sidelines of an Arab summit in Jeddah, the Egyptian presidency said.

The two leaders also addressed ways to revive a Palestinian peace process, and Egypt’s efforts to secure a legally binding agreement over the operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a statement from the presidency said.

Cairo has been seeking a deal for years over the GERD, which Egypt says could put at risk its scarce water supplies. The dam is under construction on Ethiopia’s Blue Nile and Ethiopia started filling the reservoir behind the dam two years ago.