The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, met on Wednesday with President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi where they discussed the situation in Libya and asserted the need for stability in the oil rich country. They also stressed the importance of unity among the army and the government in order to overcome the ongoing crisis, so that Libya would join the international community. Also, Guterres appreciated Egypt's efforts to halt and contain the violence in the Gaza Strip, as well Egypt's efforts in providing the strip with humanitarian aid. Regarding the Palestinian cause, the two sides mulled ways to support efforts to resume peace negotiations in order to reach a just and a comprehensive settlement. Guterres also met with the Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, where they discussed possible ways to coordinate between Egypt and the UN in various regional and international issues. He expressed the Egyptian government's hope to push forward the cooperation between the UN and African Union (AU), particularly with regard to the implementation of the 2030 and 2063 agendas, and dealing with the peace and security challenges facing Africa. According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Shoukry discussed the possible methods of cooperation between the UN and the AU regarding implementing Egypt's agendas toward peace and security for the entire African continent. The foreign minister affirmed Egypt's support for the UN's efforts in dealing with many issues of concern to the international community at various political, security, and development levels. Furthermore, Guterres said that he was positive about his visit to Egypt and that he is keen to increase the cooperation with the Egyptian government. The meeting dealt with ways to unify international efforts to confront terrorism and address extremist thoughts, the spokesperson for the foreign ministry, Ahmed Hafez, said in a statement. Shoukry affirmed that Egypt would continue its cooperation with the UN in this regard through the full implementation of the relevant general assembly resolutions, in coordination with the relevant UN bodies, as well as the application of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. Guterres also toured on Tuesday the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), where he was received by ambassador Maged Mosleh, the international relations director at the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, and Atef Muftah, the supervisor of the GEM project.
