Egypt's FM to attend meeting of regional foreign ministers in Saudi Arabia Friday

CAIRO – 14 April 2023: Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry will take part on Friday in a consultative meeting of the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, which will take place in Jeddah.

The meeting comes as part of coordination and consultation among the participating countries in order to promote joint Arab action and push for collective efforts to deal with crises facing the region, said Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid in a statement on Thursday.

Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said in a press briefing that the foreign ministers will discuss Syria’s return to the League of Arab States (LAS) after over a decade of suspension, Reuters reported.

Syria was suspended from the Arab League over its failure to end the bloodshed caused in the wake of the political turmoil in the country.

"The main aim is to discuss the situation in Syria. There are many developments regarding the situation in Syria and points of view of Arab states about the return of Syria to the Arab League," Al-Ansari said.

Sources also revealed to Reuters Saudi Arabia’s plans to invite Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to the LAS summit scheduled for 19 May in Riyadh.