Egypt affirmed its full support and solidarity with the sister Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in all the measures it takes to defend its security and sovereignty, protect its citizens, and safeguard its interests.
In a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Sunday, Egypt expressed its strong condemnation and denunciation of the continued sinful attacks on the sisterly lands of Saudi Arabia, and the attempts to target its cities and interests, the most recent of which was the launching of two ballistic missiles towards the city of Riyadh, in flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty and security of the Kingdom, and which represents an escalatory approach and a direct threat to civilians.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi warned during a press conference in Cairo with his Slovenian counterpart Natasa Peretz Musar last week against compromising the security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, reiterating “his country’s categorical rejection of any threat that might affect the security and stability of the Kingdom and other Gulf countries.”
Al-Sisi then affirmed Egypt’s full support and solidarity with the Arab countries, based on its firm belief that Arab national security is “one indivisible unit.”
During a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdel Ati, on Friday evening, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan reviewed the latest developments in the joint efforts made and efforts aimed at preventing escalation, and urged all parties concerned to exercise restraint, use the language of dialogue and negotiation, not take any escalatory steps, and respond to the efforts made by the mediators to resolve the situation and try to reach understandings that can be built upon to spare the region the dangers and repercussions of military confrontations, which undermines the security and stability of the region and brings the crisis back to normal. Zero point.
Ben Farhan and Abdel Ati agreed, according to a statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to “continue making efforts, coordination and consultation with the various parties concerned, to confirm the above and attempt to establish peace and the values and principles of international law, and to follow a serious political approach that leads to settling the crisis from its roots and prevents its negative repercussions on various countries regionally and internationally.”
Egypt repeatedly renews its full solidarity with the sisterly Gulf states, and its standing by their side in the face of everything that affects their security and territorial integrity. It also stresses “the rejection of any attacks aimed at harming the sovereignty and stability of the Gulf states.” She stressed on more than one occasion that “dialogue and diplomatic solutions represent the only way to prevent renewed military confrontations.”
Egypt had previously condemned in the strongest terms the attempt to target Medina in the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with a ballistic missile, and expressed in a statement, last Friday, its strong denunciation of such attacks, which “represent a blatant violation of the rules and provisions of international law, and undermine the security and stability of the region, as well as efforts to calm the situation and efforts to establish peace.” She stressed at the time that “the Kingdom’s security is closely intertwined with Egyptian national security and is one of the components of stability in the region as a whole.”
64 people were injured today (Sunday) in a train carriage accident in the Al-Ayat area in Giza Governorate (south of the Egyptian capital, Cairo).
Major General Hatem Hassan, Assistant Minister of the Interior for Giza Security, received notification that a train had overturned in the Al-Ayat Center district, and a large number of passengers had been injured.
The security services, civil protection forces, and ambulances immediately moved to the scene of the incident, and it was discovered that the train had overturned and a number of its cars had derailed, on the Cairo-Aswan agricultural road, in front of the Garza junction in Giza Governorate.
According to the notification, the accident resulted in scattered injuries. There were bruises, abrasions, fractures and wounds, and the injured were transferred to hospitals to receive the necessary treatment.
For its part, the Egyptian Ministry of Health reported, in a statement, that the Minister of Health and Population, Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, directed to raise the degree of preparedness in all health facilities in the Giza and Beni Suef governorates, and to provide all forms of medical and emergency support necessary for the injured.
According to the latest data, 52 ambulances participated in the transport and evacuation operations, while the total number of injured people reached 64, 54 of whom were transferred to Al-Wasta Hospital, and 10 to Al-Ayyat Hospital.
The relevant agencies are currently removing the effects of the accident and restoring the movement of trains to normal, while examining the tracks and the train to find out the cause of the overturn. The prosecution has taken over the investigation and requested investigations into the incident and hearing the statements of eyewitnesses and the injured.
An official source at the Egyptian Railway Authority reported that an urgent technical committee of the authority’s engineers had been formed to inspect the railway line and the exit site, to clarify the technical and operational reasons that led to the incident, and to take the necessary measures to ensure the safety of operating traffic.
The Al-Ayat area witnessed a tragic accident 24 years ago. An accident known in the media as the Upper Egypt train accident occurred in 2002, leading to 361 deaths and the injury of about 66 others. The accident is considered the largest and worst disaster in the history of Egyptian railways, and led to the resignation of the then Minister of Transport, Ibrahim Al-Damiri.
On Saturday, Egypt reopened its embassy in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, after closing it in 2014 due to the political division and related violence.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Ati opened the embassy headquarters, following his arrival in Tripoli earlier today, where he also participated in a session of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States.
Abdel Ati said, in a press conference, that the reopening of the embassy headquarters “reflects the depth of the relationship and the historical and geographical connection that brings together the two brotherly peoples.”
Libya is seeking to recover from the chaos that followed the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Two governments are currently competing for power, one in Tripoli, recognized by the United Nations and led by Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Dabaiba, and a rival government in the east supported by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
According to a statement by the spokesman for the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abdel Ati pointed out during the celebration the historical and diplomatic significance that the reopening of the historic headquarters of the Egyptian Embassy in Tripoli carries, noting that continuing to use it as a headquarters for the Egyptian Embassy gives its history a living extension, combining the authenticity of the place, the requirements of the present and the aspirations of the future, and good news for resuming the performance of its mission as one of the bridges of continuous cooperation and coordination between the two sister countries.
Abdel Ati added that this historic building represents an inseparable part of the memory of the city of Tripoli, with its historical depth and cultural status. It is a witness to its political and diplomatic history, and its historical value coincides with the solid humanitarian and cultural ties that Egyptian-Libyan relations carry.
The reopening of the embassy comes weeks after the Libyan Parliament in Benghazi, in the east of the country, approved an agreement to demarcate the maritime borders with Turkey, which angered Cairo, which considered that the agreement violated its maritime zone.
The Egyptian Foreign Minister expressed his thanks and appreciation for the support provided by the Libyan state and its agencies to complete the maintenance and renovation of the building, noting that the relations between Egypt and Libya are historical and fraternal relations, which have always been based on direct neighborhood ties, social and cultural interactions, ties of brotherhood and intermarriage, and common interests.
