President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met on Saturday with Tanya Fagun, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia, and Joao Cravenio, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal, in the presence of Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.
During the meeting, President Al-Sisi emphasized the importance of the international community’s serious efforts to reach a comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian issue and to recognize the independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, to achieve justice and ensure lasting security and stability in the region for all its peoples.
The spokesperson of the presidency, Ahmed Fahmy, said that the Slovenian and Portuguese sides welcomed the humanitarian truce announced in the Gaza Strip, and appreciated the leading role of Egypt, strategically, politically, and humanely, throughout the crisis since its outbreak on October 7, which resulted in a joint mediation to reach a truce and exchange the release of prisoners and detainees, as well as Egypt’s significant role in the evacuation of foreign nationals from the Strip.
The meeting also agreed on the need to consolidate the truce and build on it to reach a permanent cease-fire, as well as the need to provide immediate and effective support for humanitarian relief efforts to the Strip, sufficient to meet the needs of the people of Gaza whose livelihoods and security have been destroyed.
The meeting also expressed a categorical rejection of the displacement of the people of Gaza from their lands.
President Al-Sisi praised the positions of Portugal and Slovenia on the conflict and noted Slovenia’s non-permanent membership in the Security Council for the years 2024/2025.
In the same context, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stressed that restoring stability in the region will only be achieved by launching an integrated political process aimed at reaching a comprehensive and just settlement of the Palestinian issue through a two-state solution, in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy.
Ahmed Abu Zeid, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the joint visit of the two ministers comes within the framework of keenness to coordinate and consult with Egypt to discuss ways to find a solution to the current crisis in Gaza, put an end to the ongoing attacks against Palestinian civilians and work to enforce humanitarian and relief assistance to the residents of the Gaza Strip.
The foreign ministers of Portugal and Slovenia expressed their appreciation for the role played by Egypt in reaching this agreement as a first step towards reaching a complete ceasefire in Gaza as soon as possible, as the only way to contain the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Strip.
The talks reflected the ministers’ interest in exchanging assessments and visions on the requirements to end the crisis and how to deal with its humanitarian consequences.
The foreign ministers of Portugal and Slovenia also listened to the Egyptian vision of finding a sustainable and just solution to the Palestinian issue.
In this context, Minister Shoukry stressed the Egyptian position based on the need for a complete and unconditional ceasefire, facilitating the access of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, including through Israeli crossings, as well as condemning the targeting of civilians, rejecting the policies of starvation and collective punishment of the Palestinian people, as well as rejecting Israel’s attempts to displace the people of the Gaza Strip inside or outside Gaza to settle the Palestinian issue at the expense of neighboring countries.
Shoukry emphasized Israel’s responsibility towards the Gaza Strip and its people, as the occupying power, in providing humanitarian services and assistance to the people of the Strip, in accordance with the obligations of international humanitarian law.
In a related context, Minister Shoukry expressed his appreciation for the balanced positions of Portugal and Slovenia towards the crisis and their vote in favor of the Arab resolution on Gaza at the UN General Assembly, as well as Portugal’s traditional positions in support of the Palestinian cause and the two-state solution, which was reflected in the Portuguese prime minister’s call for a ceasefire in Gaza during the European Council summit held last October.
The discussions also touched upon the draft resolution that the Arab and Islamic groups intend to submit to the Security Council to address the existing imbalance in the system of humanitarian aid access to Gaza, where Shoukry stressed the need for the international parties to shoulder their responsibilities towards ensuring adequate and sustainable aid access and alleviating the humanitarian suffering suffered by Palestinians in Gaza.
