National, regional, and international political consultations between the Egyptian and Russian foreign ministers in Cairo
Sayed Hefny 🇪🇬
Dr. Badr Abdel-Aty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs, received Mr. Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, on Friday, December 19, in Cairo, where the two ministers held talks that addressed ways to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries, in addition to regional and international issues of common interest.
Ambassador Tamim Khallaf, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that the two ministers expressed their pride in the close relations and strategic partnership between their countries, and commended the growing momentum in bilateral relations across various political and economic fields. The ministers emphasized the importance of continuing joint efforts to advance ongoing cooperation projects, most notably the nuclear power plant in El Dabaa and the Russian industrial zone in the Suez Canal Economic Zone. This will contribute to boosting Russian investments in Egypt and expanding cooperation between the two sides, as well as enhancing tourism cooperation by increasing the number of direct flights between the two countries.
Minister Abdel-Aty reviewed the promising investment opportunities in Egypt, especially within the framework of the trend towards localizing industry and transferring technology, expressing interest in enhancing Russian investments in Egypt, highlighting the favorable environment that Egypt provides for attracting foreign investments, especially in the energy, tourism, transport and logistics sectors, which contributes to raising the economic and trade relations between the two countries to broader horizons.
The official spokesperson added that the consultations addressed regional developments, with the two ministers exchanging views on regional issues of mutual interest, most notably the recent developments in the Gaza Strip. Minister Abdel-Aty reviewed Egypt's efforts to support stability and de-escalation in Gaza, implement the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Agreement, ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Strip, and move towards implementing the requirements of the second phase of the agreement. He also outlined the Egyptian vision for the transitional phase, emphasizing the importance of empowering the international stabilization force and forming a Palestinian technocratic committee in Gaza to pave the way for the return of the Palestinian Authority and the commencement of early recovery and reconstruction efforts.
The Foreign Minister stressed Egypt’s rejection of any measures that would perpetuate the separation between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip or undermine the chances of a two-state solution, expressing the need for the international community to play its role in stopping the escalation in the West Bank and settler attacks against Palestinian civilians, and condemning settlement expansion in the West Bank.
The two ministers also reviewed developments in Sudan, with the Foreign Minister expressing Egypt's deep concern over the continued escalation in Sudan and the resulting horrific violations against Sudanese civilians. In this context, he reviewed the efforts exerted by Egypt within the framework of the Quartet Mechanism with the aim of reaching a humanitarian truce leading to a ceasefire and ensuring the establishment of safe humanitarian havens and corridors to provide security and protection for Sudanese civilians. Minister Abdel-Aty reiterated Egypt's position calling for the preservation of Sudan's unity and territorial integrity, not allowing the secession of any part of Sudan's territory, and supporting state institutions, stressing that there are red lines that cannot be crossed, as this directly affects Egyptian national security.
The meeting also addressed developments in Lebanon and Syria, where the Foreign Minister reviewed the constants of the Egyptian position supporting the unity, sovereignty, security and stability of Lebanon, and renewed Egypt’s position calling for respect for the unity and sovereignty of Syrian territory, and rejecting any moves or interventions that would undermine the country’s stability, calling for the activation of a comprehensive political process that fulfills the aspirations of the Syrian people.
The consultations witnessed an exchange of views on developments in the Iranian nuclear file, where Minister Abdel-Aati stressed the importance of continuing efforts aimed at reducing escalation, building confidence, and creating conditions that would allow a real opportunity for diplomatic solutions and the resumption of dialogue with the aim of reaching a comprehensive agreement on the nuclear file that takes into account the interests of all parties and contributes to achieving regional security and stability.
On another note, the two ministers discussed the latest developments in the Ukrainian crisis, with Minister Abdel-Aati reiterating Egypt’s firm position calling for the continuation of efforts aimed at reaching peaceful settlements to crises through dialogue and diplomatic means, in order to preserve security and stability, expressing Egypt’s readiness to contribute to any effort to resolve this crisis.
For his part, the Russian Foreign Minister conveyed the greetings of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the President of the Republic, expressing his deep appreciation for the strategic partnership between the two countries and for Egypt’s active role in the region in support of peace, security and stability, stressing the importance of continuing bilateral consultation and coordination on various issues of common interest, and expressing his hope to strengthen the partnership and cooperation in a way that serves the interests of the two countries and fulfills their aspirations for more cooperation.
0 تعليقات