Al-Assad, el-Sisi discuss regional issues, Gaza ceasefire

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
6 Jul 2024 17:57
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The Syrian President calls his Egyptian counterpart to discuss regional issues and to congratulate him on the anniversary of the June 30 revolution.

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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, left, meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, right, on the sidelines of the Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on November 11, 2023. (SANA)

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad held a phone call with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Saturday to congratulate the Egyptian president on the occasion of the June 30 revolution.

According to the Syrian President's office, al-Assad said the events in 2013, which led to el-Sisi's accession to power, "brought back Egypt to its natural position, which expresses the culture of the Egyptian people and its values and concepts."

Syria's President also pointed to what he described as a "trap of extremism" set for states in the Arab region, stressing that "it would have been difficult for the region to re-establish itself" had it fallen into the trap.

He said that the Syrian and Egyptian peoples' constant confrontation of extremism "contributed to protecting all the countries and peoples of the region."

On its part, the Egyptian Presidency announced that el-Sisi and al-Assad "exchanged views on the dangers of escalation in the region and emphasized the vital necessity to prevent the widening of the conflict zone."

Both presidents reiterated "their absolute rejection of attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause or displace Palestinians."

Moreover, the President's office said that Egypt is committed to its efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and ensure the sustainable delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinians.

Cairo also emphasized its pursuit of reinforcing a "two-state solution" and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

Director of Al Mayadeen's bureau in Syria reflects on the implications of al-Assad’s messages

The director of Al Mayadeen's bureau in Syria, Dima Nassif, addressed the implications of President al-Assad’s messages, explaining that his message was that “it is not possible to fall into the Brotherhood trap, nor accept this organization as a partner at any level.”

She explained that his messages are exceptional, manifested in his choice of words at this specific time, which implies that they come in response to all the talk in political corridors about a Syrian-Turkish rapprochement.

Nassif pointed out that this message is the first in which al-Assad sent a telegram to el-Sisi on this occasion, which, according to her, “saved Egypt from falling into the trap of extremism.”

She further reported that al-Assad raised a question: What if Damascus or Cairo fell into this trap? What would have become the status of the two countries, given their importance in shaping the landscape of the region?

She pointed out that what can be understood from the Syrian President’s message is “his reaffirmation that this could have brought the region to an abysmal level," making the Egyptian and Syrian popular response extremely important in terms of foiling this plan.

It is worth noting that exchanges between the two heads of state have seen a recent increase, after a series of regional political developments that saw the Syrian Arab Republic welcomed back into the Arab League in May 2023.

These geopolitical changes have seen Syria bolster or begin to reinstate its bilateral relations with a number of Arab states, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Tunisia.