Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi received on Monday, Lars Rasmussen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, in the presence of Badr Abdelatty, Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Egyptian Expatriates’ Affairs.
During the meeting, ways to develop cooperation in the economic, trade and investment fields were reviewed. The president appreciated the role of Danish companies in promoting economic development in Egypt, pointing to opportunities to expand cooperation between the two sides, especially in the fields of energy, green transformation and maritime transport, in a way that benefits the two friendly countries and peoples.
The meeting also discussed the situation in the Middle East, where Al-Sisi stressed the need to give priority to the path of calm and reach an agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and exchange detainees, which allows saving the people of Gaza from the tragic living conditions they are suffering from.
Al-Sisi also stressed the need for this to coincide with a serious and decisive path to implement the two-state solution and establish an independent Palestinian state, in a manner that achieves the aspirations of the peoples of the region towards justice, security, stability and development. They also agreed on the importance of the humanitarian role played by UNRWA, which must be supported and protected from the obstacles it faces.
In a related context, the foreign ministers of Egypt and Denmark held a press conference in which they stressed that there is no solution to the Palestinian cause except by ending the Israeli occupation of the occupied territories and continuing to push towards the issue of recognition and the establishment of the Palestinian state.
During the press conference, Abdelatty said: “We talked about several regional and international issues, the crisis in the Gaza Strip, the humanitarian disaster there, and the ongoing aggression for more than 10 months amidst suspicious international silence.” He pointed out that the Danish Foreign Minister will visit the city of Arish on Tuesday, and will inspect the logistical centres there to collect international and Egyptian aid.
He added: “The Danish Foreign Minister will see for himself the existing defect in the operation of the crossing from the Palestinian side as a result of the Israeli occupation of the crossing and the military presence there, which led to its complete cessation of operation from the Palestinian side, and this prevents the flow of humanitarian and medical aid to the residents of the Strip. We were also unable to vaccinate children in Gaza against polio, which disappeared decades ago and is returning as a result of the catastrophic conditions in the Strip.”
For his part, the Danish Foreign Minister praised Egypt’s ongoing mediation efforts to conclude a prisoner exchange deal and implement a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Rasmussen pointed out that “the two-state solution is the basic solution to resolve the crisis between Palestine and Israel.”
He added: “My visit to Cairo comes at a very important time due to the changes taking place in the world,” noting that it is his first visit to this continent after setting the new strategy for this century.
