Abdelatty affirms to Türkiye's Fidan need to prevent terrorist harboring in Syria

CAIRO – 12 January 2025: Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty emphasized to his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, the importance of preventing terrorist elements from being harbored in Syria and ensuring that the country does not become a source of threat to regional stability.

The two ministers met in Riyadh on the sidelines of discussions involving Arab and Western top diplomats, hosted by the Saudi capital to address the situation in Syria.

During the meeting with Fidan, Abdelatty underscored the necessity of intensifying regional and global coordination to counter terrorism, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt’s position on preserving Syria’s unity, national institutions, and sovereignty over its entire territory.

He called for advancing a comprehensive Syrian-owned political process that includes all components of the Syrian people, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2254.

In addition to Syria, the two ministers discussed the situations in Libya, the Gaza Strip, and the Sudanese crisis.

They also addressed the security situation in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea and conferred about achieving security and stability in Somalia while preserving the nation's unity.

The Riyadh meetings, led by Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Syria’s transitional government Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shibani, include top diplomats from the Middle East and Europe.

Attendees comprise the foreign ministers of Egypt, Türkiye, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, and Britain.

U.S. Under Secretary of State John Bass, European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, and UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen are also present.

Syria is currently grappling with instability following the fall of Bashar Al-Assad's government on December 8.

World powers are now considering sanctions relief in light of the Syrian regime's collapse.

Assad’s reign ended following an offensive led by opposition fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, under the leadership of Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is now Syria's de facto ruler.

This significant change marks the end of over five decades of Assad family rule.