Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty discussed in a telephone call on Saturday 17/8/2024 with Iran’s Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Bagheri Kani ongoing Egyptian efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
According to the Egyptian foreign ministry, the call came as part of Egypt’s intensive communication with all regional and international actors to contain the current escalation in the region.
It was the third phone conversation between the two top diplomats in less than two weeks after the Israeli assassination on 31 July of Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital and the assassination of Fouad Shukur, a top military commander of the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Beirut.
The Israeli assassination of Haniyeh and Shukur prompted Iran to vow retaliation against Israel and the US to vow to mobilize to defend Israel, thus exacerbating tensions and fears of an expanded war in the region.
The call also came a day after top intelligence officials from Egypt, Qatar, and the
US mediated talks on Thursday and Friday between Hamas and Israel in Doha to reach a ceasefire in the 10-month-old Gaza war.
On Friday evening, Egypt, Qatar and the United States announced in a joint statement that senior officials from the three countries will meet in Cairo before the end of the week in a new round of talks.
According to the statement, mediators from the three countries presented to Hamas and Israel a proposal that narrows the gaps between them and aligns with the principles set out by President Biden on 31 May 2024 and UN Security Council Resolution 2735 to end the 10-month-old war.
During the call, FM Abdelatty emphasized to Bagheri that Egypt would spare no effort to end the unprecedented humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people.
He noted that the international community is now more aware than ever of the necessity to stop the war and finalize a prisoner swap deal.
The Egyptian foreign minister stressed the need to avoid the risks of an expansion of the current conflict that
would threaten regional and international peace and security.
Abdelatty also reviewed with Bagheri Egypt’s regional and international communications to achieve this goal, stressing that Cairo has a vested interest in de-escalation.
From his side, Bagheri expressed his appreciation for Egypt’s current efforts and the responsibility Cairo has shouldered in stopping the war in Gaza and promoting calm.
The Iranian top diplomat affirmed his keenness to maintain communication between the two countries to work towards achieving stability in the region.
Source: State Information Service Egypt