Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry said Monday that Egypt will align itself with the Arab League’s decision to support Saudi Arabia in its recent conflict with Iran.
Shoukry made his comments during a break in the ministerial meeting of Arab League members in the UAE, contending that Egypt severed its diplomatic relations with Iran in 1979 for similar Irainian interference.
During his visit to the UAE, he also attended a meeting of the Arab League Ministerial Group formed by a resolution of the Council of Arab League Foreign Ministers. The ministerial group was formed to conduct internal deliberations on the developments of the Saudi-Iranian conflict and was tasked with examining the issue of Iranian interference in the affairs of Arab League member-states. The group was further asked to make recommendations for the consideration of the Council at its next session, according to a statement released by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesperson.
Foreign Ministers of the Arab League member-states agreed on specific steps to follow to form a unified stance to address Iranian interference in the affairs of their countries, according to the statement.
Shoukry also held a meeting with his Saudi counterpart, Adel Al-Jubair, to discuss bilateral relations and the mechanisms that allow for these relations between the countries. Shoukry and Al-Jubair also discussed current debates on the representation of the Syrian opposition at peace talks in Geneva.
Cairo is working to unite the Syrian opposition and to support a political solution in Syria. “Saudi Arabia and the UAE have the same opinion,” he said.
