Egyptian, French FMs urge securing Palestinian people’s legitimate rights

CAIRO – 24 September 2020: Egyptian and French foreign ministers have agreed on the necessity to secure the legitimate interests of the Palestinian people, as they met on the sidelines of a quadripartite ministerial meeting on developments in the Palestinian issue, an official statement read.

The meeting which was held on Thursday between the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, France and Germany in the Jordanian capital of Amman aimed at advancing peace efforts in the Middle East, in light of latest developments in the Palestinian issue.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, during their meeting, have agreed on the need to enhance peace efforts to reach a comprehensive and fair settlement to the Palestinian issue, based on the two-state solution and relevant international legitimacy references, a statement by the Egyptian side read.

Shoukry and Le Drian also discussed a number of issues in the region of mutual concern, including the situation in Libya and Lebanon.

The Egyptian minister reviewed Egypt’s efforts to achieve political and security stability in Libya, calling for joint work to halt negative foreign interference, which destabilize the country, the statement added.

They also discussed the need to continue support and coordination on the Lebanese issue, in order to help the country achieve a prosperous future and save the country from the current crisis it faces.

This comes following a deadly blast last month in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, which left dozens of deaths and thousands of injuries and caused the country to bear losses worth billions of dollars.

Shoukry also hailed the level of coordination and consultation between Egypt and France at all levels, in order to enhance cooperation, in light of regional developments.

He also mentioned Egyptian efforts exerted to open a number of tourist attractions for foreign visitors and expressed Egypt’s aspiration to receive French tourists in Egypt as soon as possible.

Meeting UNRWA chief

 

Shoukry has hailed the prominent humanitarian role played by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to alleviate the suffering of Palestinian refugees, as he met with the agency’s commissioner-general.

Shoukry voiced support to the UNRWA and affirmed the need to continue to exert international efforts to ensure that the agency’s vital services, especially in the fields of education, health and relief, continue to be carried out, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez said in a brief statement.

Commissioner-General of the UNRWA Philippe Lazzarini, for his part, expressed appreciation for Egypt’s stance supporting the agency and for the country’s continuous efforts to back the Palestinian issue and establish peace in the Middle East, according to the statement.