Syrian Foreign Minister Pays His First Visit To Egypt Since War
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Mekdad in Cairo on Saturday, to be the first in more than 10 years since Syria’s civil war broke out over a decade ago, Shoukry’s office said.
The closed-door meeting between the ministers comes amid amplified Arab engagement with the Damascus government which has been politically isolated in the region since the start of the Syrian war. The meeting was followed by bilateral discussions.
Shourky highlighted Egypt’s support of Syria in ending the Syrian crisis. According to a statement by Egypt’s Foreign Ministry, he said that the political settlement to the Syrian crisis should be achieved in accordance with the United Nations Security Council Resolutions
“The ministers agreed to intensify channels of communication between the two countries at different levels during the coming phase,” the statement reads.
During their talks, the ministers also discussed the ways to help Syrians recover after the devastating effects of the earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey on 6 February.
At the time, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad in unprecedented support since Sisi took office in 2014. The two country’s top diplomats also spoke over the phone in the aftermath of the quake.
Discussions on Saturday focused on “supporting the Syrian people to restore (the country’s) unity and sovereignty over its whole territories”, the Egyptian ministry said in a statement.
Shoukry called for a “comprehensive political settlement to the Syrian crisis” while reiterating Cairo’s backing for the United Nations special envoy’s efforts to resolve the conflict.
The statement said the two ministers also agreed “on intensifying channels of communication” between their countries.
