President Cyril Ramaphosa received a call on Sunday evening from his Egypt counterpart, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who expressed his sincere congratulations on his new term of office. Last month, President Ramaphosa was re-elected to serve for a second term at the first sitting of the National Assembly after the highly contested elections in May where he won 283 votes, against Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema who received 44. 'President El-Sisi shared with President Ramaphosa his expectation that South Africa and Egypt will continue to cooperate on issues of common interest,' a statement from the Presidency said. According to the President's Office, the country's First Citizen expressed his appreciation for President El-Sisi's good wishes and agreed on the importance of continued partnership between the two countries on matters of bilateral, continental and multilateral interest. 'Of particular significance to the two leaders is the need to work together on the Palestinian issue and the crisis in the Gaza strip. 'The Presidents committed themselves to deepening the fraternal ties between Egypt and South Africa as part of advancing continental solidarity,' the statement read. President Ramaphosa and President El-Sisi also agreed on the expansion of trade, mutual investment and other areas of economic cooperation between the two states, according to the Presidency. Source: South African Government News Agency