Egypt's FM, France’s Barrot discuss de-escalation as Egypt flags Lebanon, seeks faster EU budget support

CAIRO - 14 MARCH 2026: Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held a phone call on Saturday with France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, as the two sides compared notes on the region’s rapidly shifting security picture and what can be done to stop the military escalation from sliding into a wider war.

According to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tamim Khallaf, the call focused on how Cairo and Paris can help push the situation back toward diplomacy, with both ministers agreeing that regional and international efforts need to come together to prevent an all-out regional conflict.

Khallaf said the two ministers also weighed the wider cost of the current escalation, not only security risks, but also the economic fallout that comes with it, especially higher energy and food prices, and rising shipping and maritime insurance costs.

The call also touched on Lebanon, with Abdelatty stressing the need for an immediate halt to what he described as Israeli violations and attacks, and reiterating Egypt’s rejection of any harm to Lebanon’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity.

On the economic track, Abdelatty said Egypt is looking for France’s support to speed up the second tranche of the European Union’s overall financial support package for Egypt’s budget, citing the heavy impact of the escalation on Egypt’s economy.

The spokesperson said both ministers agreed to stay in close contact and continue coordination under the strategic relationship between Egypt and France, with the aim of lowering tensions and keeping diplomacy as the main channel to avoid deeper regional instability.