President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi confirmed Saturday during an expanded meeting with a number of UN permanent representatives in his presidential palace in Cairo, on Egypt's commitment to achieving UN's Charter objectives. Al-Sisi stressed that Egypt pay particular attention to the United Nations and international multilateral work. He discussed ways of strengthening the role of small and medium countries in decision-making process, Al-Ahram News reported Sunday. He pointed out to Egypt's obligation to cooperate with all international parties in order to achieve the principles and objectives of UN's Charter of establishing stability and promoting democracy, as well as development. Spokesman for the Presidency, Ambassador Alaa Youssef said that the president welcomed the delegation of UN permanent representatives to Egypt. The visit comes within the framework of participation in an international forum on ways to deal with the challenges and threats faced by the international community, especially the international peace and security, in addition to development issues. Representative of the Afro group confirmed during the meeting, the recognition of African countries to Egypt's leading role in the region and its eagerness to lay the foundations of security and stability throughout the region. Also, the representative of Afro group expressed African countries' support to Egypt's access to membership of the Security Council for the period of 2016/2017, stressing that the presence of Egypt in the council is a source of pride for all African countries. The meeting also tackled the importance of empowering women, who represent half of the society and are considered to be a key partner in many aspects of work and life. In this regard, al-Sisi stressed that Egypt is taking serious actions to empower women and enhance their role in community. He praised the contribution of women in the preservation of the state's identity by showing tolerance, stressing that women always participated in shaping the country's future. Additionally, the Palestinian state representative delivered the greetings of President, Mahmoud Abbas, stressing that Egypt is playing a central role in establishing security and stability in the region. Palestinian state representative also highlighted Egypt's role in seeking settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli issue in accordance with the terms of reference defined by the international law.
