Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry received on Saturday his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad at the Foreign Ministry headquarters, in the first visit of its kind in more than 10 years.
Ahmed Abu Zeid, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the visit witnessed a closed bilateral meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries, followed by a session of wide-ranging talks that included the Egyptian and Syrian delegations.
The talks dealt with various aspects of bilateral relations and ways to promote and strengthen them for the benefit of the two brotherly peoples, in addition to a number of regional and international files of common interest.
“The talks also focused on ways to help the Syrian people regain its unity and sovereignty over its entire territory and face the accumulated and increasing challenges, including efforts to recover from the devastating Feb. 6 earthquake as well as efforts to achieve a comprehensive political settlement to the Syrian crisis,” the spokesperson added.
Abu Zeid pointed out that this comes in light of the brotherly ties and historical ties between the two countries, and the common Arab interest requires solidarity and fraternal solidarity in facing the growing regional and international challenges.
In this regard, Minister Shoukry reiterated Egypt’s full support for efforts to reach a comprehensive political settlement of the Syrian crisis as soon as possible under Syrian ownership and in accordance with Security Council Resolution No. 2254 under the auspices of the United Nations (UN).
He stressed Egypt’s support for the efforts of the UN special envoy to Syria and the importance of completing the measures related to achieving national consensus among the Syrian brethren, building confidence and continuing the meetings of the Syrian Constitutional Committee.
During the meeting, Minister Shoukry also noted that a comprehensive political settlement to the Syrian crisis would put an end to foreign interference in Syrian affairs and ensure that Syria regains its full security and stability, preserves its territorial integrity and sovereignty, and safeguards the capabilities of its people.
He said that this settlement eliminates all forms of terrorism and terrorist organizations without exception, and allows the voluntary and safe return of Syrian refugees, thus relieving the suffering of the brotherly Syrian people and ending its protracted crisis, which will strengthen the elements of stability and development in the Arab world and the region.
For his part, Minister Mekdad conveyed his country’s appreciation for Egypt’s role in supporting Syria and its people throughout the years of crisis, thanking Egypt for the humanitarian relief assistance provided in the wake of the earthquake.
He expressed his aspiration that the next stage will witness more Arab solidarity with Syria so that it can overcome its crisis and assume its historical role in supporting the causes of its Arab nation.
In this context, Minister Mekdad reviewed various aspects of the Syrian crisis, including the economic, humanitarian and security challenges that the Syrian people have faced and continue to suffer from. The two ministers agreed to intensify communication channels between the two countries at various levels during the next stage to address issues and topics that affect the interests of the two countries and the peoples of Egypt and Syria.
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