Egypt calls for political solution to Syrian crisis

CAIRO - 25 September 2022: Egypt calls for a political solution to the Syrian crisis and for ensuring humanitarian aid access to the suffering people, said Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid.

 

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met on September 23 with United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen, within the framework of Egypt’s interest in ending the Syrian crisis and alleviating the suffering of the brotherly Syrian people.

 

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid stated that Minister Shoukry affirmed during the meeting that Egypt continues to exert efforts to promote a political solution in Syria in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2254. For his part, the UN special envoy briefed the foreign minister on the developments of the crisis, as Shoukry reiterated the significance Egypt attaches to resuming various attempts to resolve the crisis.

 

Abu Zeid stated that the need to ensure humanitarian aid access was stressed to alleviate the suffering of the brotherly Syrian people. 

 

On the sidelines of the UNGA meetings, Shoukry also met with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan.

 

The meeting discussed means of enhancing bilateral cooperation, and developing economic and trade relations. Both sides praised the role played by the Businessmen Forum of the two countries to advance cooperation in the fields of trade and investment.

 

Moreover, Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid indicated that Minister Shoukry was briefed on recent developments in the current tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan, where he affirmed Egypt's position that calls for resolving disputes through peaceful means, and reaching a sustainable settlement away from the use of force.

 

The Egyptian minister of foreign affairs also met with Azerbaijan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov, on the margins of the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).

 

The meeting thoroughly discussed the file of bilateral cooperation between Egypt and Azerbaijan, and means of developing it, taking into account the previous round of political consultations held between the two countries in July in the Azerbaijani capital Baku, as well as the outcome of the meetings of the fifth session of the Egyptian-Azerbaijani Joint Committee for Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation and the Egyptian-Azerbaijani Businessmen Forum held in Baku in February 2022.

 

Abu Zeid indicated that Minister Shoukry congratulated his counterpart on the success of Azerbaijan's presidency of the Non-Aligned Movement, which was characterized by dynamism, as a number of initiatives were launched to revive the movement and enhance cooperation among its countries. This was appreciated by the Azerbaijani foreign minister, who was keen to present the situation due to the tensions between his country and Armenia.

 

In this regard, the Egyptian foreign minister stressed the importance of achieving stability and avoiding deterioration, reiterating Egypt's firm stance that calls for resolving disputes through diplomatic means, and stresses the necessity to reach a comprehensive and sustainable settlement.