Egypt and Turkey Foreign Ministers Discuss Phone Call on De-escalation Efforts in the Region
Cairo, Aug 20 (KUNA) -- Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Dr. Badr Abdelatty held a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan to discuss the latest developments in regional affairs and efforts to de-escalate tensions and contain instability in the region. The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Thursday that the two ministers emphasized during the call the importance of intensifying efforts aimed at achieving calm and reaching comprehensive and sustainable understandings that enhance regional security and stability, stressing the necessity of returning to diplomatic channels and reducing the ongoing military escalation in the region.
The statement added that the call addressed developments regarding the Palestinian issue, where both ministers stressed the importance of continuing efforts to implement the US President’s peace plan for the Gaza Strip and to compel the Israeli occupation to adhere to the obligations of the first phase and the roadmap, thereby paving the way for implementing the second phase’s commitments, consolidating the ceasefire, and completing the path toward achieving peace and stability. They also affirmed that Palestinian factions had shown responsiveness regarding the restriction of weapons, emphasizing that the ball is now in the Israeli court.
The two ministers called on the Israeli occupation to respond to efforts aimed at implementing the US President’s plan, which would help create an environment conducive to implementing the agreed arrangements, including the Israeli withdrawal from the Strip, the entry of humanitarian aid, the removal of obstacles preventing the entry of the agreed number of trucks—approximately 600 trucks daily—and the initiation of early recovery and reconstruction projects, as well as the entry of the National Authority and Palestinian police elements and the international stabilization force.
According to the statement, the call also covered serious developments in the West Bank, where the two ministers warned against the occupation’s move to implement the E1 settlement project in the occupied West Bank, citing its serious threat to the territorial contiguity of Palestinian lands, particularly by separating East Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings and undermining geographical connectivity between parts of the West Bank, thereby undermining the prospects of establishing an independent and viable Palestinian state in blatant violation of international law and resolutions of the UN Security Council.
The two ministers also discussed the situation in Syria in light of recent Israeli occupation attacks on Syrian territory. (End) A.S.M. / T.M.A.
