Egypt’s FM discusses regional issues with Antonio Guterres of UN

CAIRO - 29 September 2024: Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdel Aati met Saturday with Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, on the sidelines of the high-level segment of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

According to a statement by Tamim Khilaf, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guterres expressed his appreciation for Egypt's “wise policy” in dealing with international and regional issues and challenges, and its “pivotal role” in the Middle East, the Arab and Islamic world, as well as in Africa.

Abdel Aati praised the role of the Secretary-General in holding the Future Summit to support the multilateral action system and welcomed the outcomes of the summit, noting Egypt's agreement with what Guterres proposed to reform the structure of the global financial system and make it more just and equitable for the benefit of developing countries. 

He highlighted the importance of working towards innovative solutions to expand the mechanisms through which developing countries can access soft financing, alleviating the burden of their debts and supporting national development efforts to achieve sustainable development goals.

Egypt’s top diplomat praised the principled positions of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in favor of international law and unified standards towards various issues in the region, especially the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and the escalating humanitarian disaster therein. 

He also mentioned the “unjustified” Israeli escalation in Lebanon and the region, which is “leading the region to the abyss.”

The meeting witnessed a discussion on a number of other regional issues, including developments in Libya, Sudan, Yemen, the Red Sea, and the Horn of Africa, and the importance of preserving the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Somalia.

The foreign minister touched on the issue of water security and the Ethiopian dam, labeling it an “existential issue” directly related to Egyptian national security that cannot be taken lightly. He also categorically rejected any unilateral practices that harm the interests of the downstream countries and violate the established international rules of transboundary water governance.