Ashraf AboArafe
Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, the official spokesman and Director of the Public Diplomacy Department at the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that Mr. Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs, received a phone call on Monday, April 8, from Mrs. Penny Wong, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Australia.
The official spokesman for the Foreign Ministry stated that Mr. Sameh Shoukry briefed his Australian counterpart on the latest developments related to the war on Gaza, and the results of Egyptian consultations with international powers to contain the crisis. He also extended his condolences to the Australian government over the killing of the Australian aid worker who died as a result of the Israeli air strike that targeted aid workers in Gaza affiliated with the World Central Kitchen Foundation, which resulted in the death of 7 aid workers in the Gaza Strip affiliated with the Foundation. In the same context, the Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed that Israel must comply with the provisions of international law and international humanitarian law, which requires stopping its attacks against Palestinian civilians, as well as against international relief personnel present in the Gaza Strip, who play an active role in confronting the catastrophic humanitarian conditions witnessed by the residents of the Strip.
Abu Zeid added that the two ministers discussed during the call the deteriorating humanitarian and security conditions in the Gaza Strip, and the efforts aimed at ensuring the implementation of Security Council resolutions, the latest of which is Resolution No. (2728), and General Assembly resolutions related to the crisis in Gaza, where they stressed the necessity of achieving an immediate and permanent ceasefire. Ensuring that humanitarian aid is fully, safely and quickly implemented to meet the urgent needs of the Gaza Strip population. In this context, Minister Shoukry appreciated Australia’s decision to resume support for UNRWA, noting the pivotal role played by the organization in confronting the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the Strip.
In a related context, Ambassador Abu Zeid explained that the two ministers stressed during the call their complete rejection of Israel’s military operation in the city of Rafah, which will exacerbate the deteriorating humanitarian conditions of the residents of the Gaza Strip and result in more heavy loss of life.
The call touched on various aspects of bilateral cooperation between Egypt and Australia, as the two ministers stressed the importance of continuing coordination and consultation to strengthen the frameworks of bilateral cooperation in all fields, in addition to coordinating positions regarding regional and international crises of common interest.
