CAIRO – Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs Badr Abdel Atty said Egypt is keen on preserving Sudan’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.
Asked by MENA on Monday at a joint press conference with UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini about Cairo’s hosting of the first conference that brought together Sudanese political and civilian groups, the foreign minister stated that the conference was the first event gathering representatives from Sudanese political and civilian powers in one place, which reflects Egypt’s great interest in unifying their positions to stop the ongoing war in Sudan.
Abdel Atty underlined that Egypt has been working with sisterly and friendly countries to reach an immediate ceasefire in Sudan, which requires stopping the delivery of any weapons or any military equipment into the country.
The top Egyptian diplomat highlighted that Egypt has been hosting the largest number of Sudanese nationals since the eruption of the tragic civil war in April 2023.
He stressed Egypt’s willingness to co-operate with all regional and international relief organisations to bring humanitarian aid into Sudan, underlining that any genuine political solution to the Sudanese crisis must be based on a purely Sudanese vision that is free from any external interference.
Abdel Atty called on donor countries to fulfil their obligations with regard to providing full support for Sudan’s neighboring countries, notably Egypt that bears the largest burden.
Abdel Atty noted that the Palestinian cause has been a top priority in Egypt’s foreign policy agenda since the 1940s.
He affirmed regional stability can’t be achieved without resolving the Palestinian issue.
He added that Egypt is exerting sincere efforts with Qatar and the US to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and release Israeli hostages.
The foreign minister reiterated Egypt’s call for securing a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and delivering large quantities of aid into the Palestinian enclave, while launching serious negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis to implement the two-state solutions.
On his part, the UNRWA commissioner-general said the UN agency can not currently conduct an investigation into the involvement of some the UN agency’s employees in the the 7 October attack against Israel, due to the ongoing Israeli war in the Palestinian enclave.
Abdel Atty deplored the suspension of funding by some donors to UNRWA in Gaza without providing documented evidence for Israeli claims about the involvement of some the UN agency’s employees in the 7 October attack.
The top Egyptian diplomat stated that Egypt is working with friendly countries to resume funding to UNRWA.