Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with the secretary-general of the United Nations Antonio Guterres at the Munich Security Conference on Friday. "The foreign minister affirmed Egypt's support for the United Nations' efforts to address escalating unrests in the region and to push peace efforts forward, especially in Syria and Libya," the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement on its official Facebook page. The UN chief encouraged Egypt's efforts to aid the UN's mission in Syria by using its contact with all involved parties to press on flexible talks within the framework the of the UN envoy Stephane De Mistura. Shoukry and Guterres also discussed the situation in Lebanon in light of rising tension in the region, as well as challenges facing the Palestinian file, including the urgent necessity to provide funding to overcome the United Nations Relief and Works Agency UNRWA's budget deficit. The foreign minister demonstrated Egypt's vision and stance on the Palestinian file during the current international situation and ways to facilitate international efforts to revive the peace process. Shoukry and Gutierres exchanged visions on ways to unify international efforts to confront the escalating threat of terrorism and countering extremist ideas. Shoukry also reviewed Egypt's vision on assisting the work of the group of 77, a coalition of economic developing nations at the UN, chaired by Egypt in 2018. The foreign minister reaffirmed Egypt's support for the UN efforts to settle international disputes and rebuilding institutional capacities of countries experiencing conflicts.
