Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukry met with Saudi counterpart Adel Al-Jubeir on Saturday in Jordan's capital Amman where they discussed regional and bilateral cooperation, Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said. The meeting came on the sidelines of a meeting of the FMs of Palestine, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, the UAE, Egypt and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit to coordinate Arab efforts to “preserve the historical and legal status of Jerusalem.” The meeting, which was set up after the recent decision by US President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, also involved discussion of ways to confront challenges facing Arab national security. Shoukry and Al-Jubeir agreed on "the importance of preserving the historical and legal status of the City of Jerusalem in accordance with the relevant international resolutions, highlighting the need to push efforts to revive the peace process to achieve a just and comprehensive settlement for the Palestinian question," spokesman Abu Zeid said in a statement released in Arabic and English. The two ministers also discussed ways to confront foreign interference in Arab countries and safeguard Arab national security and stability. The two officials agreed on the importance of "bolstering coordination and solidarity between their countries in addressing such challenges, and adopting common positions that would safeguard the interests of the two brotherly peoples." Shoukry and Al-Jubair also discussed developments in Yemen, Syria and Libya, especially the joint efforts by Egypt and Saudi Arabia in forming a Syrian opposition delegation to negotiate a political resolution in Syria. Shoukry said that he was keen on having this meeting with his Saudi counterpart in the context of ongoing consultation with the UAE foreign minister on threats posed by the increased “external presence and interference in areas adjacent to the spheres of the three countries' national security, and the overall Arab national security.” Shoukry arrived in Amman on Saturday. On 9 December, the Arab League tasked the six Arab countries with discussing and evaluating the developments concerning the status of Jerusalem following Trump's decision. Egypt has long-maintained its support for a two-state solution where East Jerusalem would serve as the capital of a new Palestinian state.
