Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has stressed Egypt’s keenness to develop and deepen its strategic partnership with Greece, especially in light of unprecedented regional and international challenges.
This came during a phone conversation Shoukry received on Monday from Greece’s new Foreign Minister Vassilis Caskariles, during which the two ministers consulted on ways to boost bilateral relations in the political, economic, trade and energy fields in the common interests of the two countries.
Ahmed Abu Zeid, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the call comes in the framework of keenness on continuing consultation and close coordination between the two sides on various issues of bilateral cooperation and coordination on regional issues in light of the distinguished relations between Egypt and Greece.
At the outset of the call, Minister Shoukry congratulated his Greek counterpart on his assumption of his post, wishing him success.
The two ministers also discussed the latest developments in a number of regional and international issues of common interest and the challenges they pose, and agreed on the importance of closer cooperation and coordination in order to meet these common challenges in a way that serves the interests of both countries and achieves stability in this important region.
For his part, the Greek minister conveyed his country’s appreciation for Egypt’s positions and its efforts to strengthen security and stability in the region.
In a different context, Shoukry met on Monday with UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tore Winsland.
The meeting dealt with the latest developments of the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, where Minister Shoukry expressed grave concern about the continuing escalation of violence, the intensification of Israeli incursions into the West Bank and the resulting casualties, which exacerbates tension between the two sides.
Minister Shoukry reviewed Egypt’s efforts to calm the situation on the ground, reviewing Egypt’s participation in the meetings of the Aqaba/Sharm El-Sheikh track and the Munich format.
He stressed the need to work on the implementation of the relevant understandings on the Aqaba-Sharm El-Sheikh track in order to reduce the current tension.
The Foreign Minister also stressed the need to combine all regional and international efforts, at the level of the United Nations (UN), in order to stop the continuous escalation in the occupied territories and create a new climate supportive of the revival of the peace process.
In this context, the UN Coordinator expressed his appreciation for Egypt’s pivotal role in the peace process; looking forward to continued coordination with Egypt in order to break the current stalemate in the peace process, stop the ongoing violence between the Palestinians and the Israelis, and return hope to find a final, comprehensive and just settlement to the Palestinian issue.
