Ashraf AboArafe
Mr. Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs, met on the evening of Monday, January 22, 2024, with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, during his current visit to the Belgian capital, Brussels, to head the Egyptian delegation at the tenth meeting of the Association Council between Egypt and the European Union.
Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, the official spokesman and director of the Public Diplomacy Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, explained that the meeting discussed the positive developments witnessed by Egyptian-European relations during the recent period and ways to deepen the close partnership existing between the two sides, as the President of the European Council stressed the importance that the European Union attaches to strengthening its relationship with Egypt and the fact that Egypt is an important strategic partner for the European Union in facing common challenges, and that the momentum witnessed by bilateral relations in various fields of cooperation confirms the depth of this true partnership between Egypt and the European Union.
Michel also affirmed the European Council’s support for raising relations between Egypt and the European Union to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership, which would move bilateral cooperation between the two sides to broader horizons that are compatible with the political momentum witnessed by Egyptian-European relations. The President of the European Council stressed that the current regional challenges demonstrated Egypt’s pivotal and regional role as a pillar of security and stability in a region that has become rife with turmoil, and also demonstrated that Egypt is a reliable and trustworthy partner in confronting these challenges.
For his part, the Foreign Minister stressed Egypt’s reliance on the European Council’s support for the path of upgrading relations between the two sides, as this step will represent a qualitative shift in institutional cooperation between the two sides in accordance with their common priorities.
Ambassador Abu Zeid added that regional developments, especially the situation in Gaza, overshadowed the discussions between the two sides, as the Foreign Minister reviewed Egypt’s tireless efforts to resolve the current crisis in the Gaza Strip and ensure sustainable access to the largest amount of humanitarian aid to the Strip to alleviate the conditions. The deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, pointing in this context to the obstacles imposed by Israel on the process of introducing aid, which complicate the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, the majority of whose population has become displaced. Mr. Sameh Shukri also reiterated his warning of the consequences of the continuation of the crisis in Gaza and the widening of the circle of conflict, throwing the region into imminent scenarios whose consequences cannot be predicted, and whose features are beginning to appear in the tensions taking place in the southern Red Sea region and their effects on the security of international navigation. He stressed the necessity of finding a political path to settle the Palestinian issue based on the two-state solution to reach a comprehensive and sustainable solution to it, as it is the only way to achieve security and stability in the region. The two sides also exchanged assessments on the situations in Sudan and Somalia.
The official spokesman added that the President of the European Council expressed during the meeting his deep appreciation for the friendly relationship that unites him with Mr. The European Union assigns it to coordination with Egypt because the security and stability of Egypt and the region are linked to the security and stability of the European continent.
At the end of the meeting, the two sides agreed to continue communication and consultation on ways to enhance cooperation between Egypt and the European Union in a way that reflects the political momentum witnessed in relations, as well as continuing close coordination on current regional and international developments and challenges.
