Egypt called on Iran to respect the security of the Gulf. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Aty said that he discussed regional developments in a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.
The Egyptian Foreign Minister added in a blog post on his account on the “X” platform, reported by the country’s official Middle East News Agency, on Monday, that he stressed during the phone call “the importance of reducing escalation, promoting negotiation, and respecting Gulf security.”
Abdel Ati’s speech came hours after meeting with Araqchi, on Saturday, on the sidelines of the meetings of the 52nd session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Baghdad, where he stressed “the necessity of reducing escalation and quickly restoring calm and stability in the region,” and they discussed ways to reach an agreement that would contribute to containing the current crisis and preventing the expansion of the scope of the conflict.
During his talks on Saturday with his Iranian counterpart, Abdel Ati also discussed “the necessity of ensuring freedom of international navigation and regular trade movement through sea lanes, which contributes to reducing the negative repercussions of the crisis on the global economy, especially in light of the major disruptions it has caused in energy and fertilizer supply chains and international trade movement.”
He stressed “the necessity of respecting the security and stability of the Gulf states and all countries of the region, and the importance of stopping all hostile actions targeting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and condemning these unjustified attacks.”
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 affirms “the rejection of any attacks aimed at harming the sovereignty and stability of the Gulf states.” She called on more than one occasion to “immediately stop the escalation and resort to serious dialogue and diplomatic means to settle the various outstanding issues in the region.”
The Egyptian House of Representatives continues to meet, today (Monday), for the second day in a row, to discuss the mandate of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in any intervention that Saudi Arabia may request, while the “National Defense Council” in Egypt affirmed “providing all necessary and possible forms of support to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to defend its security and stability, and to preserve its capabilities, the integrity of its lands, and the Islamic holy sites.”
Yesterday (Sunday), Sisi chaired the council meeting, which “reviewed the overall current regional developments and the dangerous developments the region is witnessing, especially in light of the escalation of the unacceptable attacks against the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
Egyptian presidential spokesman, Mohamed El-Shenawy, explained that “the National Defense Council decided to stand fully and in full solidarity with Saudi Arabia, based on the historical relations and strong ties that bind the peoples of the two brotherly countries as they are the heart of the Arab nation, and out of belief in the connection between Saudi national security and Egyptian and Arab national security.” The Defense Council also decided to “continue and intensify the political and diplomatic efforts being made, in coordination with the relevant regional and international parties, in a way that contributes to reducing the escalation in the region and settling the crises that the region is witnessing peacefully.”
