Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with Walid Hamza, chairperson of the National Election Authority (NEA), and Ahmed Bendari, director of the executive body of the NEA, on Tuesday. The meeting discussed the preparations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to organize the presidential elections 2024 for Egyptians abroad, by the rules, regulations, and decisions issued by the NEA. Shoukry emphasized the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its diplomatic missions' commitment to perform their assigned role to the fullest, as they did in the previous elections, and to instruct the missions to maintain neutrality and transparency throughout the electoral process. He also stressed the importance of encouraging Egyptian citizens abroad to exercise their constitutional right and duty to participate in this important event. In a related context, Hamza delivered a lecture at the ministry's headquarters to ambassadors and heads of missions who will be transferred abroad in the coming period, which included reviewing the decisions and regulations issued by the commission and the technical and organizational aspects of the voting process of Egyptians abroad. In another context, the Foreign Minister highlighted on Tuesday that being inspired by the spirit of the October War struggle through commemorating its anniversary is tantamount to injecting new energy for national action and integration between institutions to complete the development process and lead the new generations of Egypt towards a better future. This came during Shoukry's participation in the seminar organized by the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs; in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the glorious October War, under the slogan "Diplomacy of war and peace: 50 years since the October War of 1973". Ahmed Abou Zeid, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the foreign minister stressed that the fiftieth anniversary of the October victory recalls all the meanings of dignity and sacrifice. He added that it reflects the resilience of the will of the Egyptian people and what our nation carries of history, civilization, and devotion to the homeland, in a valiant war recorded by history as one of the greatest wars of the modern era. The foreign minister pointed out that the October saga embodies the miracle it represented in transcending reality and the long-term vision, which was based on the ability of the political leadership and the state to foresee the future and based on the legitimacy of the war for peace. "The only way to a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East lies in the restoration of the land, respect for sovereignty, and non-infringement of the rights of others," he added. In the same context, Minister Shoukry reviewed the significant role played by Egyptian diplomacy in defending the Egyptian position in international and regional forums between the June defeat and the October victory, as well as in the aftermath of the October 1973 War. Shoukry discussed the subsequent difficult negotiations that lasted until the signing of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel and the recovery of Taba, with the participation of a group of diplomatic, legal, historical, and military experts to prove Egypt's right to its land. The foreign minister addressed the challenges and crises that the Arab region is facing today, which require enhancing joint Arab action inspired by one of the most important pillars of the October anniversary, which embodied political support and integration between the Arab military, and political and economic forces. He added that Arab integration is a necessity, especially since the Palestinian issue still lacks a horizon for a fair settlement. He recalled the basis provided by the October saga for the restoration of Palestinian rights, which established the principle of the return of land for peace, and the rejection of the fait accompli imposed by the occupying power. Later on Tuesday, Shoukry received Eric Van der Berg, the Dutch minister of immigration, at the ministry's headquarters. Shoukry had important discussions with the Dutch minister of immigration on ways to strengthen cooperation between Egypt and the Netherlands in the field of migration and review the national efforts exerted at the social, economic, and security levels to confront the phenomenon of illegal migration.
