Ashraf AboArafe
Dr. Badr Abdel Aati, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, received on Thursday, January 2, Mr. Jonathan Powell, National Security Advisor to the British Prime Minister, to discuss ways to enhance bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and international issues of common interest.
Ambassador/ Tamim Khalaf, Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that the meeting addressed the overall bilateral relations between the two countries, where Minister Abdel Aati stressed the importance of raising the level of bilateral relations in various political, economic and investment fields.
The official spokesman added that the meeting witnessed an exchange of views on the rapid developments in the region, most notably the Palestinian issue, where Minister Abdel-Ati reviewed the efforts made by Egypt to reach an agreement for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, stressing the need for humanitarian aid to reach the sector and stopping the systematic violations committed by Israel against the Palestinians, which contradict all international conventions, stressing the need to reach a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue that guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the lines of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The two parties also discussed the successive developments in Syria, where Minister Abdel-Ati reviewed the determinants of the Egyptian position on the developments in Syria, stressing Egypt’s full support for the Syrian people and support for the stability of the state, preserving its national institutions and respecting the unity and integrity of its territories, stressing the need for the political transition process in Syria to be comprehensive through Syrian national ownership without external interference in a way that supports the unity and stability of Syria with all its components and spectrums.
The meeting witnessed a discussion on the latest developments in Sudan, where Minister Abdel-Ati stressed Egypt’s position calling for a ceasefire, the need to accelerate the pace of humanitarian aid delivery to Sudan, and support and empower its national institutions.