Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry reviewed Thursday Egypt’s recent efforts to push forward the political process in Syria in the presence of the Foreign ministers of the UK, the U.S., France, Germnay, Saudi Arabia and Jordan – Press photo
CAIRO – 12 July 2018: Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry reviewed Thursday Egypt’s recent efforts to push forward the political process in Syria and end the country’s seven-year crisis, during a mini-summit held in the Belgian capital of Brussels.
The meeting was held in the presence of the foreign ministers of the UK, the U.S., France, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Egypt was invited for the first time to the mini-summit, as an act of appreciation for Egypt's efforts to support political settlement in Syria and unify Syrian opposition factions, according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid.
Egypt’s significant efforts to solve the Syrian crisis have included continuously contacting parties involved in the crisis, as well as contacting the UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura to support his efforts and prepare for the first session of the committee assigned with writing the constitution.
Abu Zeid described such step as vital to resume the negotiations halted for more than six months.
The meeting also addressed the progress achieved concerning combating the Islamic State terrorist organization’s branch in Syria, and the anti-terrorist efforts that caused the group to withdraw to isolated parts in Eastern Syria and its south-west.
Shoukry asserted the need to intensively continue combating the terrorist group to keep its elements from seeking safe resorts and to prevent any regional parties from providing them with secured ways to move to other areas, including areas in North Africa.
Egypt’s participation in the mini-summit comes within the framework of the state’s full commitment to work for the Syrian people's best interest, said Abu Zeid.
The spokesman also affirmed Egypt’s keenness to participate in all events that aim to stop the bloodshed in Syria which caused the death of hundreds of thousands of Syrian people.
Meetings with de Mistura
In a June meeting with the UN Special Envoy for Syria in Cairo, Shoukry affirmed that the Egyptian state seeks a political solution that would preserve the unity of the Syrian state and its territorial integrity, and stop the bloodshed, saying that the political solution has to be compatible with the aspirations of the Syrian people.
De Mistura praised Egypt’s efforts to solve the Syrian crisis on the political and humanitarian levels, expressing the UN's intention to boost coordination with Egypt concerning the situation in Syria, Abu Zeid said.
During an earlier meeting with de Mistura last February, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Shoukry reiterated Egypt's rejection of any military solution in Syria.
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