Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Expatriates Affairs Badr Abdelatty had a phone call on Tuesday with US State Secretary Antony J. Blinken on the successive regional developments in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.
During the phone call, they stressed the necessity of intensifying coordination and consultation to contain the current escalation in the region. They discussed Egypt’s water security needs.
In statements, Spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry Tamim Khallaf said that the foreign minister warned against the current rapid escalation in the region, a matter that requires concerted efforts to swiftly intervene to contain the situation.
He also called for exerting persistent efforts to reduce this serious escalation, urging all parties to exercise restraint, avoid sliding into an all-out war in the region that will have devastating consequences.
Abdelatty expressed Egypt’s total rejection of undermining Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, underlining the pressing need of reaching an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire.
He also called for boosting humanitarian aid to the Lebanese people as the intense Israeli bombardments have forced more than one million people to flee their homes.
Abdelatty underlined the importance of supporting the Lebanese state institutions, topped by the Lebanese Armed Forces, to undertake their duties, urging all parties to abide by the full implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
After one year of Israel’s war in Gaza, and the widespread unrest, Abdelatty called on the international community to assume its responsibilities to reach an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
He also underlined the importance of ensuring the entry of sustained humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and dealing with the roots of the conflict by establishing an independent Palestinian state on the lines of June 4, 1967, with Al Quds as its capital.
They also discussed the issue of Egypt’s water security. In this regard, Abdelatty reiterated the Egyptian stance, calling for reaching a legally binding agreement for filling and operating the Ethiopian dam.
For his part, the US Secretary of State renewed the United States’ commitment to support Egypt’s water security.
