CAIRO, Jan. 29 (Aswat Masriya) – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi arrived at Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa Friday ahead of the Africa Union's (AU) assembly of the heads of states and governments, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. 

The high level assembly is the 26th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union and is part of the AU Summit, which opened on Wednesday. 

Upon his arrival, Sisi met with Chadian President Idriss Deby and President of the Republic of Mauritius Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, discussing bilateral relations with each as well as other topics on the agenda of the summit, Egyptian state news agency MENA reported.

Egypt secured a three-year membership at the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union on Thursday, assuming one of the two seats allocated for North Africa and is expected to take up office on April 1.

Sisi along with other heads of state attended a meeting of the PSC, which is comprised of 15 members, on Friday. PSC seats are divided on a regional basis and members include five who are elected for a three-year term, while the remaining 10 are elected for a two-year term.

Sisi is the Coordinator of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) and is set to present a report outlining the outcomes of the Paris Climate Conference (COP21) that took place in December, where Egypt assumed the role of negotiator on behalf of the African continent.

Egypt's participation at AU activities comes after nearly year-long hiatus which started in mid-2013, when Egypt was suspended by the PSC. 

On July 5, 2013, just two days after former president Mohamed Mursi was militarily ousted following mass protests against his rule, the PSC decided to suspend "the participation of Egypt in the AU’s activities until the restoration of constitutional order."

The council said Mursi's suspension "falls under the definition of an unconstitutional change of Government."

The suspension was lifted in June 2014, just weeks after Sisi made a sweeping victory in presidential elections, reaping more than 96 per cent of the vote. 

For the past two and a half years Egypt has been making extensive efforts to promote the July 3 power shift as a "correction of the path" and to return to a leading role in the international arena, especially in the Middle East and the African continent.

The 26^th AU Summit will also address issues related to governments, elections, upholding constitutional principles as well as AU funding. Combating terrorism will also be on the summit's agenda.