CAIRO, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stressed on Monday that the security of Yemen is of high importance to Egypt's national security and the stability of the entire region.

Egypt rejects using Yemen to threaten navigation in the Red Sea and the strait of Bab al-Mandeb, Sisi said at a press conference in Cairo with his Yemeni counterpart Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is currently in exile with his internationally-recognized government.

He said Hadi's visit to Egypt is of special importance given the critical stage the Yemeni crisis is passing through and the serious challenges facing the Arab region and threatening its security and stability in an unprecedented way.

This situation requires rallying all efforts to change the tough conditions Yemenis are experiencing and face the hazards threatening all Arab countries, Sisi said.

The Egyptian president reiterated his country's keenness on the security and stability of Yemen and the integrity of its territories, expressing full support for the legitimate government of Yemen in the face of "those who are trying to tamper with the country's security and stability."

Sisi also said his talks with the Yemeni president tackled boosting bilateral relations, the developments of the Yemeni crisis, its security and political repercussions on the region and efforts Egypt should exert to push forward political solution mechanisms.

Yemen has been locked in a civil war since the Houthi rebels overran much of Yemen and seized all northern provinces in late 2014, including the capital Sanaa.

Saudi Arabia is leading an Arab military coalition that intervened in the Yemeni war in 2015 to support the government of Hadi.

More than 10,000 Yemenis, mostly civilians, have been killed in the war, with about 3 million others displaced.