Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry heads on Thursday morning to the Eritrean capital city Asmara carrying a message from President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to his Eritrean counterpart Isaias Afwerki aiming at boosting bilateral relations between the two countries. The visit comes following the latest improvement in relations between Cairo and Asmara and the signing in six agreements, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abou Zaid. The visit is expected to address the latest updates in the African horn region and the security of the Red Sea. On Tuesday, Shoukry headed to the Ethiopian capital city Addis Ababa, to take part in the ministerial meeting for reforming the African Union (AU), Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abou Zaid said in a statement. The meeting which is being held on Wednesday and Thursday aims at discussing means of reforming the AU and revising the administrative and financial work of the union during the past two years (2016/2017). The meeting also will address the achievements of the union and its work's efficiency, and then moving to following the implementation of the recommendations. They will also discuss the alternatives for amending the system of electing leaders of the union, as well as providing suggestions for the November summit for institutional reformation in the African Union. Before leaving on Tuesday, Shoukry held several bilateral meetings with his Arab counterparts on the side-lines of the 150 meeting of the Arab League council for foreign ministers in Cairo. Shoukry discussed means of boosting relations between Cairo and Kuwait with his Kuwaiti counterpart Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. They addressed several regional and international issues with mutual interest including the situation in Syria, Yemen, and Palestine. During the meeting, Shoukry praised the Kuwaiti role in supporting the Arab stance in all issues amid Kuwait's temporary membership in the UN Security council representing the Arab states. The two ministers agreed on rejecting foreign interventions in the Arab region, as well as the necessity of preserving the unity of Syria and reaching a political solution for the crisis. They also stressed the importance of preserving the rights of Palestinians. Moreover, Shoukry discussed bilateral relations between Cairo and Riyadh with his Saudi counterpart Adel Al-Jubeir. The two ministers discussed also countering terrorism and countries that support terrorism. They agreed on the necessity for reaching a political solution for the Syrian crisis particularly in Idlib, as well as the situation in Yemen and the positive update in the African horn.
