Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty held separate phone calls on Tuesday with Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan, UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, and Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan to discuss efforts for defusing Middle East tensions, especially the Israeli war on Gaza and the Sudan crisis.
During the phone calls, Abdelatty focused on coordinating and intensifying efforts to address and manage the current regional tensions. The discussions also covered measures to prevent the current situation from spiralling out of control and widening instability in the region, according to a statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Furthermore, the talks specially addressed the ongoing Israeli war in the Gaza Strip, aiming to reach a ceasefire, facilitate the prisoner-detainee exchange, and increase humanitarian aid access to alleviate the dire conditions of the Gaza people.
These calls are part of Cairo’s broader efforts to de-escalate regional tensions amid threats of retaliation from Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon following the Israeli assassinations of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Lebanese group commander Fouad Shukur in Beirut.
Egypt, alongside Qatar and the US, has been mediating indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas in a bid to end the 10-month-long Israeli war on the strip.
Since the war started on 7 October, Israel has killed around 40,000 people in Gaza — most of whom were children and women — and injured over 91,000 others.
Additionally, the Israeli occupation forces have caused extensive damage to Gaza’s infrastructure and displaced most of the strip’s residents.
Sudan Crisis
Moreover, the discussions touched on the crisis in Sudan, focusing on regional and international mediation efforts to secure a ceasefire and ensure humanitarian aid deliveries.
Abdelatty reiterated Cairo’s steadfast commitment to supporting security and stability in Sudan, the statement pointed out.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been plunged into a civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The conflict has claimed the lives of more than 13,000 Sudanese and forced thousands to flee the country.
Egypt has since been receiving thousands of Sudanese fleeing the war and hosting several summits to address the crisis.
Additionally, Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt’s continued support for Sudanese national institutions, unity, and territorial integrity, stressing non-interference in its internal affairs. This came during a meeting on Sunday with Chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan on the sidelines of the inauguration ceremony of Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Kigali.
He also affirmed Cairo’s commitment to addressing the humanitarian and relief needs of the Sudanese people.
According to the statement, the top diplomats also discussed the developments in the Horn of Africa.
Source: Ahram Online
