CAIRO, Jul 25 (Aswat Masriya) – Arab integration has become an urgent necessity, said Egypt’s prime minister on behalf of president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during the Arab League summit opening session on Monday.

Prime Minister Sherif Ismail headed the Egyptian delegation at the 27th Arab League Summit held in the Mauritanian capital of Nouakchott after Sisi cancelled his trip amid reports alleging that the president's absence was due to a suspected assassination plot.

Sisi’s speech discussed the importance of reaching political solutions to crises facing a number of Arab countries including Syria and Libya as well as rectifying the religious discourse in order to counter extremist ideologies.

“The current circumstances require unity between Arab countries in order to maintain the coherence of our societies," the speech read.

"It is indispensable to end internal conflicts and unite efforts to build the future.

Ismail said that that Egypt is currently seeking "a unified Arab vision to address the changes in the region". He added that foreign intervention in Arab affairs has adversely affected the situation in the Arab world.

Ismail also affirmed Egypt's support to Arab countries, saying that it attempted to strengthen joint Arab action during last year, when the Arab League was headed by Egypt’s former foreign minister Ahmed Aboul-Gheit.

He added that the challenges facing the region require “building strong state institutions that would be capable of creating sustainable development”.

 During last year's summit, Arab countries promoted a plan to create a joint Arab military force against militants and spreading Iranian power.

This year however, the heads of states and top officials attending the the two-day summit are expected to discuss measures to combat terrorism in the region and exploring solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Arab leaders are also expected to discuss the situation in Syria and Iraq and attempt to find an urgent solution for the violence in the two countries.

This marks the first time for Mauritania to host the Arab summit since joining the Arab League in 1973.