Germany and Egypt are planning to step up military and security cooperation, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said, according to Asharq Al Awsat. El Sisi’s made his remarks at a press conference after his bilateral discussions with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, on his third day of a four-day visit.

Did the president mean security cooperation or curbing illegal migration? During his talks with Merkel, El Sisi stressed Egypt’s success in banning vessels laden with undocumented migrants making their way to Europe and in opening up the country to more refugees. While little details are known about the outcome of their discussions, the visit appears to have paved the way for Egypt to take on a more active role in Europe’s efforts to stem the flow of illegal migrants to its lands — a move the EU has recently been pushing for. Formal talks towards an official pact that would see our navy patrol the Mediterranean have recently started, with the EU promising grants, a flow of investments, and other financial incentives in exchange.

Immigration also came up during the president’s bilateral talks with top German officials, including Interior Minister Horst Seehofer and Foreign Minister Heiko Maas. El Sisi also discussed cooperation on transport and railway projects with German Transport and Digital Infrastructure Minister Andreas Scheuer.

The visit was still of interest o the talking heads last night, with Khaled Abu Bakr recounting El Sisi’s various diplomatic trips over the last four years (watch here, runtime: 5:30 and here, runtime: 00:48)