Egypt's FM follows up on region's developments with US, British counterparts

CAIRO - 9 July 2024: Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Badr Abdel Ati received phone calls Tuesday, from both Anthony Blinken, US Secretary of State and David Lammy, British Minister of Foreign Affairs, Commonwealth Affairs and Development, who congratulated him on assuming the ministerial position in the recent cabinet reshuffle. 

 

Newly appointed Minister Abdel Ati followed up with both US and British leaders, during the phone calls, the course of bilateral relations and developments in the situation in the region, especially the developments of the Gaza Strip crisis and the situation in Sudan.

 

During his call with Anthony Blinken, US Secretary of State, Dr. Abdel Ati expressed his thanks and appreciation for his American counterpart’s congratulations, and his aspiration to work closely with him to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries and develop it in its various political, economic and military aspects, according to Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, the official spokesman and Director of the Public Diplomacy Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

 

Minister Abdel Ati stressed the special importance of Egyptian-American relations for both countries and people, and Egypt’s keenness to maintain the pace of interaction and coordination between the two countries through existing bilateral mechanisms, most notably the strategic dialogue at the level of the foreign ministers and the joint economic commission.

 

For his part, Blinken expressed his aspiration to work closely with his Egyptian counterpart to strengthen this joint partnership.

 

The call between Abdel Ati and Blinken touched on a number of important regional issues, most notably the situation in the Gaza Strip, in which the US Secretary of State expressed his appreciation for the important role played by Egypt in supporting ceasefire efforts and participating in sponsoring negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian sides, in addition to what Egypt is making efforts to bring humanitarian aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip.

 

In this context, the two sides discussed ongoing efforts to foster ceasefire negotiations and opportunities to reach a truce that would allow the exchange of prisoners and detainees and intensify the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip.

 

Minister Abdel-Aty reviewed the various aspects of the Egyptian position calling for: an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire, the rescue of humanitarian aid, and the necessity of having a comprehensive vision for the final settlement of the Palestinian issue that "leads to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and achieves the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people."

 

On the other hand, Ambassador Abu Zeid stated that the call dealt with developments in the Sudanese crisis, as Minister Blinken thanked Egypt for hosting the Sudanese Civil Political Forces Conference, as it is an important and essential step for building a Sudanese national consensus on the political solution to the crisis.  

 

The two ministers agreed to continue communication during the next phase to follow up on coordination and consultation on other regional issues of importance, such as the situation in Libya and the security of the Red Sea and Lebanon.

 

And for his phone call with British Foreign Minister David Lammy, Minister Badr Abdel Aty in turn, congratulated Minister Lamy on the Labor Party’s victory in the general elections in the United Kingdom, expressing his aspiration to work with him during the coming period to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries. 

 

For his part, the British Foreign Secretary stressed his pride in the depth and history of British-Egyptian relations, which branch out to include many areas such as economic and trade relations, education, investment, and cooperation in the field of immigration and climate change, considering Egypt an essential partner for Britain in the region.  

 

The official spokesman added that the Foreign Minister’s speech covered in some detail the developments of the situation in the Gaza Strip and the Egyptian efforts made to sponsor negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian sides, in addition to the efforts made by Egypt at all levels to confront the effects of the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

 

In this context, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration stressed the importance of the international community’s support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in light of the pivotal role it plays, calling for the need to provide material and political support to the UNRWA to complete its extremely important humanitarian mission in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

 

On the other hand, the two ministers expressed their deep concern about the situation in Lebanon and the possibilities of further escalation in a way that threatens the stability of Lebanon and exacerbates tension in the region.

 

At the end of the call, the two ministers agreed to continue consultations during the coming period to follow the course of bilateral relations and coordinate on ways to resolve the worsening crises in the region and support peace, stability and development in the Middle East.