Egypt's president welcomes UAE to join East Mediterranean Gas Organization as observer

CAIRO – 16 December 2020: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi welcomed Wednesday the United Arab Emirates to join the East Mediterranean Gas Organization as observer, the presidency spokesperson told local media.

Currently, the organization has seven founding states that are Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine.

President Sisi stated that the UAE will be an added value to the organization helping it achieve strategic interests and reinforcing cooperation among its members. 

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived on Wednesday in Cairo to meet with President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi in Al Itihadiyah presidential palace.

The talks will tap on bilateral relations as well as consultation and coordination upon various matters of mutual interest.

On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that his country's efforts with Egypt and the UAE target launching the political process in Libya. He added, during a joint press conference with his Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, that Russia is keen on helping the state institutions in Libya to restore their power, calling for the need to address the causes of the crisis in Libya.

In November, high-level officials from the foreign ministries of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Jordan held a meeting to discuss the updates of the Syrian crisis, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said.

The officials from the four countries have discussed ways to resolve the Syrian crisis, in accordance with the United Nations Security Council’s resolution no. 2254, in a way that protects Syria’s unity and territorial integrity.

The officials also discussed enhancing joint efforts to preserve the Arab identity of Syria and the resources of the Syrian people.

Earlier in November, Egypt voiced its rejection of any “forced demographic change” could occur in Syria, announced Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in a meeting with UN secretary-general for Syria Geir Pedersen in Cairo.

Shoukry highlighted the need for political moves, with decisive and effective combating against armed terrorist organizations that move from Syria to other areas of disputes, according to a statement from the ministry.

The Egyptian foreign minister affirmed Egypt’s continuous efforts in contacting all the concerned parties in the Syrian file, praising the UN efforts to solve the Syrian crisis politically, the statement added.