Egypt supports AHLC as model of effective int’l coordination to assist Palestinian side economically: FM

CAIRO – 23 September 2022: Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry affirmed the country’s support to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) as a model of effective coordination and consultation between international parties to support the Palestinian side economically.

In a ministerial meeting for the committee on Thursday, Shoukry also lauded the committee’s efforts in laying the economic foundations on which the Palestinian state can lean on within the framework of the two-state solution, a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry read.

The meeting came on the sidelines of the 77th UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

During the meeting, Shoukry noted that the deterioration of the situation in Palestine is caused primarily by the absence of a political horizon to establish an independent Palestinian economy capable of exploiting all its potentials and developing naturally.

Also on Thursday, Shoukry participated in a ministerial meeting for UNRWA attended by ministers and high-level officials, including Secretary-General of the UN António Guterres.

UNRW) embodies the legal and political commitments of the international community to the right of the Palestinian refugees to return home, Shoukry said.

Shoukry affirmed the importance of holding this UNRWA ministerial meeting as it delivers a collective message in support of the agency in light of the acute crisis it faces regarding securing the required funding for its work.

Shoukry also highlighted the necessity to pay attention for the potential consequences of this crisis on the work of the agency and the situation of Palestinian refugees in the countries of the region, which already face numerous challenges and crises.

The top Egyptian diplomat also underscored Egypt’s supportive stance to any solution that would preserve the current programs of the agency and develop its activities as long as this solution adheres to the agency’s work mandate and the legal status of Palestinian refugees, the statement said.

He affirmed that the true solution to this issue is represented in relaunching the peace process in accordance with the two-state solution and the relevant international legitimacy resolutions.

Egypt has repeatedly affirmed the necessity of ending the current stalemate in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process to achieve the Palestinian people’s aspirations in establishing their independent state.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh met with Shoukry on Thursday, during which he expressed his country’s appreciation for the Egyptian efforts to support the Palestinian cause, the Egyptian ministry said.

This includes efforts to achieve the Palestinian reconciliation and contribute to completing the reconstruction process in the Gaza Strip to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people, Shtayyeh said.

The Palestinian premier also hailed Egypt’s efforts to help resume the peace process through various international frameworks, including the Munich Group (Munich Format) that held a ministerial meeting on Wednesday in New York city to discuss the issue.