Africa Newsroom
Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and his accompanying delegation. The meeting was also attended by Foreign Minister, Dr. Badr Abdelatty, Director of the General Intelligence Service, Major General Abbas Kamel, as well as U.S. Ambassador to Egypt, Herro Mustafa Garg.
Spokesman for the Presidency, Ambassador Ahmed Fahmy, said the meeting underscored the robust strategic partnership between Egypt and the U.S. The discussions also confirmed the two countries’ commitment to advancing joint efforts to restore security and stability in the region. Within this context, the two sides reviewed the joint Egyptian-American-Qatari mediation efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and exchange detainees. President El-Sisi and Mr. Blinken exchanged views on the results of the latest negotiations, which were held last week in the Qatari capital, Doha, and on ways to achieve progress in the ongoing negations in Cairo. Secretary Blinken briefed President El-Sisi on the outcome of his visit to Israel, stressing the U.S.’ commitment to efforts toward calming the situation and reaching an agreement. He expressed huge appreciation for Egypt's role and constructive efforts in this regard.
President El-Sisi emphasized that the time has come to end the ongoing war, resort to the voice of reason and wisdom, and uphold the language of peace and diplomacy. The President warned against the grave danger of the conflict expanding regionally, with potentially catastrophic consequences. He confirmed that sparing the blood of the peoples should be the major driving force for all parties and that a ceasefire in Gaza must be the beginning of broader international recognition of an independent Palestinian State and the enforcement of the two-state solution, given the fact that this is the fundamental guarantor for stability in the region.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
Bongani Ndlovu