Egypt keen on political solutions in Syria, Libya: Shoukry

CAIRO – 28 August 2017: Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry affirmed Monday that Egypt is continuing its efforts to reach political solutions to both the Syrian and Libyan situations.

He added during a press conference held in Minsk with his Belarusian counterpart Vladimir Makei that Egypt is keen on continuing the Syrian negotiations between the government and the opposition under the supervision of the United Nations to meet the aspirations of the Syrian people for a stable and secure country.

“We believe that Syria’s territorial integrity and constitution must be preserved during the negotiations, as we are working to facilitate the returning of the Syrians who left their country,” Shoukry said.

Regarding the Libyan war, Shoukry said that the current Libyan situation is affecting the whole African continent especially in spreading the terrorist groups. He added that the governments should take one firm stance regarding this phenomenon [terrorism].

During the conference, Shoukry also added that the Arab quartet governments still insist on their demands to Doha to stop financing terrorism in the region.

Shoukry arrived in Minsk, the Belarusian capital, Monday, where he discussed mutual interests with his Belarusian counterpart Vladimir Makei. President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi is expected to pay a visit to Belarusian soon.

Belarus the second leg in Shoukry’s three-state European tour, which began with Germany, will end in Romania.

In Germany, Shoukry held important talks with his counterpart Sigmar Gabriel on bilateral relations and means of enhancing them. During their meeting, the two ministers agreed to boost cooperation between the two countries in different areas.