Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Migration, Badr Abdelatty, and Massad Boulos, Advisor to the US President for Arab and Middle East Affairs, discussed bilateral relations and regional security challenges in a phone call on Friday. Boulos also serves as a Senior Advisor for African Affairs at the US State Department. The discussion covered the strategic partnership between Egypt and the United States, focusing on mutual interests and joint efforts to achieve peace and security in the Middle East and Africa. The two officials exchanged views and assessments on several regional issues, particularly developments in the Horn of Africa, Sudan, Libya, and the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Minister Abdelatty outlined Egypt's perspective on peace and security challenges on the African continent. He emphasised that there are no military solutions to African conflicts, asserting that resolutions must be sought through peaceful and political means. Abdelatty highlighted efforts by Egypt's President to achieve security and stability in Africa and support post-conflict reconstruction, stressing the importance of mobilising international support to alleviate humanitarian suffering in conflict-affected areas. In this context, Minister Abdelatty affirmed Egypt's full support for achieving security and stability in both Sudan and Somalia, stressing the necessity of respecting their sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity. The call also addressed developments in Lebanon. Minister Abdelatty stated that Egypt continues to provide all forms of support to Lebanon, its government, and its national institutions to achieve security and stability. He expressed Egypt's rejection of actions impinging on Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Abdelatty underlined the need to implement the cessation of hostilities agreement, ensure the immediate and complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, and apply UN Security Council Resolution 1701 fully and without selectivity by all parties. Regarding developments in Syria, Minister Abdelatty stressed Egypt's commitment to supporting the Syrian people and respecting Syria's sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity, expressing hope that Syria can be a source of regional stability. The Foreign Minister condemned an Israeli air strike in the vicinity of the presidential palace in Damascus, characterising it as a breach of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement. He affirmed the rejection of any Israeli interference in Syrian affairs under any pretext and emphasised the need to launch an inclusive political process involving all components of Syrian society to navigate the current situation. At the conclusion of the call, Abdelatty and Boulos agreed to maintain close coordination in the upcoming period to advance the mutual interests of both countries. This reflects a shared commitment to addressing the current challenges facing Africa and the Middle East and achieving regional security and stability.
