Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry met with a number of German, African and UN officials on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, where he tackled a range of topics including counterterrorism, irregular migration, stability and development in Africa, as well as bilateral and regional issues, according to a statement by Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid. Shoukry discussed with German Minister of Defence Ursula Von Der Leyen security and military cooperation, as well as the desire to boost relations in order to consolidate security and stability in the Middle East, the African coast and the Sahara, especially in relation to counterterrorism and irregular migration. They also discussed Egypt's ongoing anti-terrorism Operation Sinai 2018, with Shoukry expressing the country's aspiration to receive more German support in training as well as the provision of border monitoring equipment. On irregular migration, Von Der Leyen praised Egypt's success in preventing migrant boats from departing the country since September 2016. Shoukry also met with German Minister of Interior Thomas de Maizière. Shoukry urged Maizière not to extend a ban on German airlines flying under 26,000 feet over Sinai by the end of February, as this has a negative impact on German tourism in Egypt, which rose to 1.2 million tourists in 2017, adding that security conditions are stable in southern Sinai. Shoukry and Maizière also discussed bilateral relations in security, combating corruption, and irregular migration, as well as Egypt's upcoming presidential elections. The Egyptian foreign minister also met with the first Vice President of South Sudan Taban Deng Gai, who said that his government wishes to see Egyptian technical and political support on the national dialogue in his country. Shoukry said that Egypt supports peace and security in South Sudan. Shoukry relayed greetings from Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit, saying that El-Sisi appreciates the existing relations between the two countries and desires to further support and development in all fields, especially in education, agriculture, and healthcare. Shoukry also participated in a business luncheon on security and development in Africa, which was attended by the foreign ministers of Rwanda, Sudan, and the head of the World Bank, where they discussed the impact of security and stability on development efforts in Africa. The officials discussed the successful efforts – especially by the African Union and other regional institutions – in making Africa more stable and secure through political solutions for several crises in the continent, and highlighted the need to focus on providing job opportunities and education to improve living standards. Shoukry also discussed the situation in Syria with the UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, where he expressed Egypt's support for the latter's efforts and success in his mission in Syria, especially in light of the Sochi Conference. The Egyptian foreign minister reiterated Egypt's stance in "supporting a political resolution in Syria that would maintain the structure and unity of the Syrian state and its institutions," as well as "rejecting any military solutions that would constitute a violation of Syrian sovereignty and undermine the existing opportunities for political solutions."
