Badr Abdel Aty, Egypt's Foreign Minister, met with Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Pakistan's Foreign Minister, and Ed Miliband, the UK Foreign Secretary, on the sidelines of the quadrilateral ministerial meetings in Istanbul. In this meeting, Abdel Aty discussed regional developments and efforts to contain tensions and restore calm.
Emphasis on Diplomacy Over Conflict
He stressed the need to prevent a resurgence of military conflicts and to break the current stalemate in negotiations between the United States and Iran. The goal of these efforts was to pave the way for the resumption of talks and to achieve a sustainable diplomatic solution. In this context, the parties discussed the proposals under consideration to contain tensions and the necessity of returning to dialogue and resuming the diplomatic and negotiation process between Washington and Tehran.
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Egypt's Support for De-escalation Initiatives
Abdel Aty, while appreciating the mediating efforts of relevant parties including Pakistan and Qatar, emphasized Egypt's support for initiatives aimed at reducing tensions. He also stressed the need to intensify diplomatic efforts to contain tensions in Yemen and prevent the spread of conflicts, as well as to maintain the security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Arab countries.
The Foreign Ministers of Egypt and the UK also emphasized the importance of continuing coordination and consultations to reduce tensions and prioritize diplomatic solutions regarding the resolution of tensions between Iran and the United States. Nader Zaki, spokesman for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, stated in an interview with Asharq that the region is on the brink of escalating tensions and that intensive diplomatic efforts are underway to prevent such escalation. He also emphasized the importance of resuming negotiations between Iran and the United States.
Security Issues and the Importance of the Red Sea
The spokesman for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry considered the security of the Red Sea a matter of Egypt's national security and stated: "The Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait are of vital global importance as they form part of a maritime corridor through which a significant portion of international trade passes on its way to the Suez Canal."
Zaki also emphasized the need to reduce tensions and fully utilize political and diplomatic solutions, stating that there is no substitute for these approaches. He said: "To achieve this, we must maintain continuous communication with all key regional players."
He further stated that Egypt has kept its communication channel open with the Iranian side and that the security of the Gulf has been a fundamental issue since day one. Regarding the Palestinian issue, Zaki asserted that this topic remains the central and primary cause of Arab nations, and without achieving a just solution to this issue, neither peace nor stability will be realized.
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