Egyptian Foreign Minister and Minister Badr Abdelatty, met with his Russian and Brazilian counterparts on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, on Wednesday. During a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Abdelatty discussed a range of bilateral cooperation issues, including joint development projects, and expressed concern over the escalating tensions in the Middle East. "We exchanged views on the latest developments in Gaza and Lebanon, emphasising the deteriorating regional situation and the risk of the region sliding into a regional war that could destabilise the entire area," Abdelatty said. He highlighted Egypt's efforts to achieve an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the release of hostages, and the delivery of humanitarian aid, as well as the need to de-escalate the situation and achieve a ceasefire. "Both ministers agreed on the necessity of ending the ongoing war in Gaza and Lebanon," Abdelatty said. "We highlighted the need to reach a political solution that guarantees regional stability through the establishment of a Palestinian state as a final solution to the regional conflict."
Abdelatty and Lavrov also discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation and promote trade and economic interests within the framework of both countries' BRICS membership. In a separate meeting with Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, Abdelatty explored opportunities to enhance trade and investment between the two countries through bilateral frameworks and those provided by the BRICS bloc, including the use of national currencies in commercial transactions. "The ministers emphasised the importance of leveraging the expertise and resources available to both sides to expand access to regional and international markets, particularly in Africa, where Egypt enjoys a strong competitive advantage, especially after the entry into force of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement," a statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said. Abdelatty and Vieira also discussed the ongoing developments in the Middle East, agreeing on the dangerous potential for the region to be drawn into a regional war due to Israeli aggressions. "They emphasised the need for an immediate ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian aid," the statement said. The two ministers also discussed the next steps in implementing the Friends of Peace initiative, which Egypt joined upon its launch during a ministerial meeting convened by China and Brazil in September on the Ukrainian crisis, on the sidelines of the high-level segment of the UN General Assembly in New York.
