During a meeting with French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné in Cairo, El-Sisi warned that the ongoing conflict will push the region into a destructive cycle of instability.
He reaffirmed the international community’s responsibility to exert pressure to reduce escalation and address the root causes of the conflict by establishing a Palestinian State and implementing the two-state solution.
For his part, Séjourné commended Egypt’s vital role as a mediator, alongside Qatar and the United States, to reach a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip and facilitate the exchange of hostages.
He also affirmed his country’s steadfast support for de-escalating efforts and its commitment to intensive activities to end the increasing tensions in the region.
During the meeting, Séjourné said French President Emmanuel Macron had tasked him with undertaking a regional tour to contribute to de-escalating efforts in the region.
He noted that the tour was set to end in Egypt to brief President El-Sisi on the results of France’s efforts.
According to the Egyptian Presidency, the two sides also discussed the strong Egyptian-French strategic partnership and commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation across various fields.
Egypt-France FMs Meeting
Following the meeting with President El-Sisi, Séjourné held a press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty.
Abdelatty shed light on Egypt’s crucial role in halting the conflict in Gaza and advancing the two-state solution, highlighting France’s important role in achieving stability in the Middle East.
“Egypt and France have a joint responsibility to ease tensions and prevent further escalation in the region during this critical time,” the Egyptian FM said.
Furthermore, he emphasised the consensus between Egypt and France on urgently securing a ceasefire in Gaza, halting Israeli aggression, and facilitating the delivery of more aid.
Abdelatty noted that the crisis in Gaza has had devastating repercussions on humanitarian and health conditions in the Strip and that a ceasefire in Gaza is key to preventing further regional escalation.
“We are in constant contact with both Palestinian and Israeli parties to secure a ceasefire in Gaza,” he noted.
Moreover, Abdelatty said he discussed the situation in Sudan, Libya, and Lebanon with his French counterpart.
In turn, the French FM praised Egypt’s diplomatic efforts to end the war in Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid.
“Egypt is playing a leading role in the ceasefire negotiations in Gaza,” Séjourné said, affirming France’s full support of Egypt’s efforts to stop the war in Gaza and reduce regional tensions.
“We are committed to working with Egypt to implement the two-state solution,” he added.
On Friday, Egypt, the US and Qatar announced in a joint statement that senior officials from the three countries will meet again in Cairo before the end of next week in a new round of talks in the hope of reaching a deal under the terms presented to Hamas and Israel in Doha.
“Over the past 48 hours in Doha, senior officials from our governments have engaged in intensive talks as mediators to reach an agreement for a ceasefire and the release of hostages and detainees,” the joint statement read.
The leaders of Egypt, the US, and Qatar, issued a joint statement on 9 August calling on Israel and Hamas to resume talks amid increasing fears of a regional war following the assassination of key Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.
Egypt, along with the US and Qatar, has been mediating indirect talks between Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire in the 10-month-old Israeli war in Gaza.
Since 7 October, Israel has killed and injured around 130,000 Palestinians, mostly children and women, damaged most of Gaza’s infrastructure, and displaced the majority of the population.
Source: Ahram Online
