FM asserts necessity of giving priority to maintaining Sudan's institutions

CAIRO – 20 April 2023: Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry asserted the need to give priority to maintaining Sudan's foundations and banning its collapse, reiterating that dealing with the state's official foundations and unofficial entities on equal footing is not allowed.

The minister's remarks were made during his participation in a ministerial meeting of the African Union on the Situation in Sudan. Foreign ministers of Sudan's neighbors, Kenya, permanent members of the UN Security Council, African Union member states, Norway, a number of Arab countries, the UN secretary general, the Arab League secretary general and the EU foreign affairs and security policy higher representative along with IGAD secretary general are attending the meeting.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid said the meeting aims at uniting efforts to make a collective move to put an end to the military confrontations in Sudan.

In his speech, Shoukry asserted his backing for reaching a ceasefire in Sudan and urged the parties of the conflict to not further escalate the tensions, warning against the tough economic conditions which Sudan is facing at the current phase as it would further increase the military conflict and cause a deterioration in the infrastructure.

He also affirmed that Egypt would sustain its efforts to bring back stability in Sudan.

The AU ministerial meeting witnessed an agreement among participants on the importance of reaching a ceasefire in Sudan, with all the international parties pledging to make all-out efforts to reach this objective with an emphasis on protecting the diplomatic missions and foreign nationals in Sudan.

The participants also reiterated the importance of opening humanitarian corridors for the displaced people and returning to the negotiation table and dialogue among the parties to the conflict.