Egyptian FM meets with France's president to discuss its potential role in ending Gaza crisis

CAIRO – 23 November 2023: In a meeting with French President Emanuel Macron, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shokry said that Arab and Islamic countries looked forward to a leading and central role by France in resolving the Gaza crisis through its membership in the UN Security Council.

The minister noted that France had dealt positively with the draft resolution on facilitating the entry of humanitarian aid, expressing hope that it would play a significant role in pushing for an end to Israeli violations in Gaza.

Minister Shokry started Sunday a tour to a number of permanent member states of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in order to push forward endeavors aimed at ending the ongoing war in Gaza Strip and dealing with the deteriorating humanitarian conditions.

The minister, accompanied by counterparts who are members of the committee formed last week during the Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Meeting, are set to meet with foreign ministers and political leaders. The committee consists of the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Turkey, Indonesia, Nigeria, Palestine, as well as the secretaries of the Arab League (AL) and the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC). They met counterparts from China, Russia, and the United Kingdom, and concluded the tour by the meeting with the French chief of state.