CAIRO - 9 December 2020: During his Tuesday phone call, from Paris, on Ten channel, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry confirmed Egypt's' coordination with its partners to maintain security and stability in Libya.
Shoukry said that Egypt had exerted great efforts, in coordination with its partners, for a ceasefire to be implemented in Libya, to preserve the capabilities and wealth of the Libyan people, stressing that Egypt will continue to do so.
"We support all efforts aimed at stability and hope for an agreement between the Libyan brothers for the benefit of Libya."
He added that Egypt appreciates Kuwait’s efforts to solve the Gulf crisis, pointing out that the process of resolving the issues that led to this tension has witnessed remarkable progress. The minister further affirmed that Egypt is always ready to mediate to remove any tension.
"Egypt supports any comprehensive agreement that considers all the factors that caused this situation," Shoukry explained, highlighting Egypt's appreciation for the relationship between the Arab countries that constitutes no attempts to destabilize or interfere in any country's internal affairs.
In a Tuesday press conference, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Hafez said the Egyptian Foreign Ministry has expressed its appreciation for the Kuwaiti efforts to heal the “Arab rift” and settle the crisis between Qatar and the four Arab countries, including Egypt.
Hafez said Egypt hopes these efforts would culminate in a comprehensive resolution to the causes of the crisis and guarantees commitment to any agreements that may take place.
The spokesperson asserted that Egypt prioritizes Arab solidarity, stability, and security.
On the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam's negotiation file, the foreign minister said the file has recently reached a stalemate due to the failure of the Ethiopian side to approve the outcomes of the negotiations. "Egypt showed great flexibility to reach a solution," he continued.
"Egypt is working to reach a comprehensive and a legally binding agreement on the GERD's filling and operation, to guarantee Ethiopia's rights to development and secure Egypt and Sudan's water rights," he clarified.
The foreign minister reiterated that Egypt showed keenness to negotiate and reach a peaceful solution to the dam's crisis, saying: "We call on Ethiopia to engage in negotiations and provide a political will to end this matter... Egypt has demonstrated the existence of a political will to solve the Renaissance Dam file."
On a different context, Shoukry stated that Egypt and France have reached an agreement on the main elements of a final solution to the Palestinian issue, in a way that preserves the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
He added that the ongoing negotiations on the Palestinian issue will make great contributions and enhance confidence.
"President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's visit to France comes within the framework of the close and historical ties that bind the two sides, the continuous communication between the two capitals and the efforts to strengthen bilateral relations to address common challenges," he said.
"The turmoil in the eastern Mediterranean, along with the push for terrorist elements in the conflict zones, pose a threat to the security and stability of Egypt and our partners in the eastern Mediterranean," the minister said, adding that coordination is taking place between Egypt and France to confront these challenges that reflect negatively on the peoples of the region.
Concerning the human rights file, the minister stressed that the Egyptian state has nothing to fear, and that the government deals transparently at all levels of the human rights file.
The minister indicated that Egypt was about to issue a comprehensive human rights strategy. "Media carry out an extremely significant role in raising the citizens' awareness of their rights and duties," he explained.
In the same context, the minister said during another phone-in to On TV, that Egypt is completely aware of the ongoing efforts to resolve the impasse between the Arab Quartet (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, and Bahrain) and Qatar, indicating that Egypt is following up the massive efforts of the State of Kuwait. "If an agreement that fulfills the interests of Egypt and the Quartet is reached, it will be considered a significant progress," he concluded.
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