Egyptian, Dutch FMs discuss strengthening bilateral relations, regional developments

CAIRO - 24 July 2026: Foreign Minister, International Cooperation, and Egyptian Expatriates Badr Abdelatty welcomed the progress witnessed in Egyptian-Dutch relations in recent years during a meeting on Friday, with Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of Abdelatty’s participation in the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Manila, where the two sides discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional developments.

Abdelatty expressed Egypt’s keenness to continue enhancing bilateral ties across various fields, stressing the importance of capitalizing on promising opportunities to boost economic relations and increase Dutch investments in Egypt, particularly in new economic zones, major national projects, port and infrastructure development, digitalization, artificial intelligence, and green hydrogen.

He also voiced Egypt’s aspiration to strengthen cooperation on issues of mutual interest, especially migration and water management, while praising the Netherlands’ support for Egypt within various European Union institutions.

The two ministers discussed a number of regional issues, foremost among them the Palestinian cause.

Abdelatty stressed the importance of completing the implementation of the commitments of the first phase of the US president’s plan, ensuring the full and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, expediting the work of the committee tasked with administering the Strip, and the swift deployment of the international stabilization force.

He also called for an end to Israeli violations in the West Bank to help contain escalation and create conditions for restoring security and stability in the region.

Regarding the rapidly unfolding developments in the region, Abdelatty stressed the need to de-escalate tensions, prioritize diplomacy and dialogue, and adhere to the memorandum of understanding signed between the United States and Iran, with the aim of resuming negotiations and reaching a final agreement between the two sides.

The Egyptian foreign minister briefed his Dutch counterpart on Egypt’s intensive efforts to reduce tensions in the region, emphasizing the importance of concerted international efforts in this regard in light of the severe economic, security and geopolitical repercussions of the war on the region and the world as a whole.