Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Co-operation and Egyptian Expatriates Badr Abdel-Aati held a phone call late on Friday with Kaja Kallas, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union, to discuss ways to further advance Egypt–EU relations and address the ongoing military escalation in the region.
During the call, Abdel-Aati and Kallas reviewed the comprehensive strategic partnership between Egypt and the EU and explored avenues to expand it to broader horizons.
The Egyptian foreign minister praised the steady progress in relations with the EU across various fields, particularly following the first Egypt–EU summit held in October.
In this context, Abdel-Aati stressed the importance of continuing efforts to strengthen economic, investment and trade co-operation with the EU across different sectors. He also underscored the need to expedite the disbursement of the second tranche of the EU’s financial support package for Egypt aimed at supporting the state budget.
The minister noted that the assistance would help Egypt address the severe economic repercussions of the current regional military escalation, including rising global energy and food prices, higher shipping and maritime insurance costs, and their negative impact on the Egyptian economy.
The call also reviewed the latest regional developments amid a serious military escalation and the widening scope of the conflict across several countries in the region.
Both sides stressed the urgent need for coordinated action to bring the war to an end as soon as possible, underscoring the importance of intensifying regional and international efforts to develop practical proposals to halt the fighting and prevent further expansion of the conflict.
In this regard, Abdel-Aati and Kallas reasserted the importance of continued coordination between Egypt and the EU to help de-escalate tensions and advance diplomatic and political solutions.
The two sides also condemned attacks against Arab states and stressed the need to halt such assaults and bring an end to the ongoing war in the region.
