Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sameh Shoukry, received Lolwah Al-Khater, Minister of State for International Cooperation of the State of Qatar, on Sunday, as part of her visit to deliver Qatari aid to Al-Arish airport and Rafah crossing.
Ahmed Abu Zeid, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the two ministers discussed extensively the ways to coordinate joint efforts to enhance the access of humanitarian and relief assistance to the Palestinian people. Minister Shoukry stressed that the humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip requires the entry of aid safely and sustainably.
He urged the Israeli occupation forces to stop withholding or delaying part of the aid and to refrain from creating unbearable conditions for the Palestinians in Gaza. The two ministers exchanged assessments on the actions and contacts carried out by Egypt and Qatar to end the war in Gaza, where they emphasized the necessity of achieving an immediate unconditional ceasefire, the international parties assuming their responsibilities to stop Israeli violations against civilians and civilian facilities in violation of the rules of international law and international humanitarian law, the need to hold the perpetrators accountable, and Israel’s compliance with its obligations as the occupying power.
For her part, the Qatari Minister of State for International Cooperation affirmed Qatar’s full keenness to coordinate and work with Egypt within the framework of the common goal of stopping the Israeli aggressions on the Gaza Strip, the complete rejection of the displacement of Palestinian brothers inside or outside the Strip, and the need for urgent access of humanitarian assistance to the Strip without conditions or obstacles.
She also expressed Qatar’s readiness to coordinate closely with Egypt to implement the recent Arab/Islamic summit resolution, and Qatar’s foreign minister’s eagerness to participate with his brothers, the members of the ministerial committee formed by the summit, to communicate with influential countries and exert international pressure to stop the war on the Gaza Strip.
Shoukry expressed Egypt’s deep appreciation for the efforts undertaken by the State of Qatar to resolve the crisis in the Gaza Strip, the ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian aid, and appreciation for the cooperation and coordination existing between the two countries in this regard.
In another context, Shoukry headed to the Chinese capital Beijing on Sunday, on his first foreign tour to the capitals of some permanent member states of the Security Council, along with the foreign ministers of the committee formed by the recent Arab – Islamic Summit, to push for stopping the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip and addressing the deteriorating humanitarian situation. The participating foreign ministers will meet with the political leaders and foreign ministers of the countries covered by the tour, to emphasize the need for an immediate ceasefire and the introduction of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip in a sustainable manner.
The ministers will also push for addressing the root causes of the crisis through a serious political process that ends with the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
