Egypt's FM, U.S. State Secretary confer over COP 27, regional issues

CAIRO – 3 November 2022: Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shokry and U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken discussed in a phone call Thursday preparations for COP 27.

Blinken stipulated the United States' keenness on participating in the conference, and working jointly with Egypt to make it a success, and to achieve its goals pertaining to climate action.

On his side, Minister Shokry expressed his appreciation, stressing that Egypt took all the necessary measures that would ensure the active participation of attendees, including official delegations, representatives of the private sector and civil society, as well as other stakeholders.  

The phone call also encompassed a talk on the developments in Libya. In that context, the U.S. secretary of state commended the efforts deployed by Egypt to push forward the constitutional path, and its co-chairmanship – along with the United States and the European Union - of the economic task force that was an outcome of Berlin Conference on Libya. Blinken further expressed hope that Egypt continues to assume that significant role.

The two ministers similarly conferred over the recent Israeli elections, whereas Shokry asserted the salience of maintaining pacification on Palestinian territories, avoiding any escalations or provocative actions against the Palestinians, and intensification of endeavors aimed at the resumption of the peace process after the formation of the new Israeli government.

Speaking of human rights, Shokry displayed what has been achieved in the framework of implementing the national strategy in that area, as well as the latest presidential pardons and the main outcomes of the National Dialogue announced in April.

Concluding their talk, the Egyptian minister of foreign affairs and the U.S. secretary of state re-affirmed their eagerness for the continuation of dialogue between the two countries to further strengthen their partnership. That is in addition to bolstering the mechanisms of cooperation and coordination to better face international and regional challenges.