Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has briefed the EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process Susanna Terstal on the efforts exerted by Egypt to revive the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. According to an official statement by the foreign ministry on Wednesday, Shoukry briefed Terstal on Cairo's communications with the Palestinian and Israeli sides and other international frameworks, the latest being a quartet meeting earlier this month with regional and international counterparts. Earlier this month, Cairo hosted a quartet meeting with the participation of the foreign ministers of Germany, Jordan and France to discuss coordination and consultation to push the Middle East peace process forward. Cairo supports the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, with East Jerusalem as its capital, as the only way to reach a just solution to the Palestinian issue. Shoukry also discussed with the EU representative efforts by Cairo to facilitate Palestinian reconciliation, stressing the necessity of translating the current positive climate into practice. He expressed his confidence in continued European support to the Palestinian cause on all levels, including under the framework of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Terstal briefed Shoukry on the outcome of her talks with various concerned parties, and presented the European vision for reviving negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel. She praised Egypt's role in supporting the peace process in the Middle East and the level of the current coordination with the EU.
