Syrian, Egyptian FMs discuss 'intensifying channels of communication'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
1 Apr 2023 21:33

The discussions between the two foreign ministers focused on supporting the Syrian people to restore the country's unity and sovereignty over its whole territories.

Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in a meeting with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad in Cairo, Egypt, April 1, 2023 (Egypt MFA Spokesperson)

Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad in Cairo on Saturday, a first since over a decade ago, Shoukry's office said.

Mekdad's visit to Cairo is the "first in more than 10 years" for a Syrian top diplomat and saw a closed-door meeting between the two ministers followed by discussions between the two countries' delegations, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said.

Several Arab countries rushed to Syria's aid after the February 6 earthquake that killed tens of thousands in the war-torn country and neighboring Turkey.

At the time, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi called his Syrian counterpart Bashar Al-Assad in an unprecedented show of support since El-Sisi took office in 2014.

The two country's foreign ministers also spoke over the phone in the aftermath of the quake.

Shoukry then visited Damascus and met with Al-Assad on February 27 on the first trip of its kind in more than a decade.

Discussions on Saturday focused on "supporting the Syrian people to restore (the country's) unity and sovereignty over its whole territories," the Egyptian Ministry said in a statement.

Shoukry called for a "comprehensive political settlement to the Syrian crisis," while reiterating Cairo's backing for the United Nations special envoy's efforts to resolve the conflict.

The two ministers also agreed "on intensifying channels of communication" between their countries, the statement said.

Unlike other Arab governments, Cairo never fully severed ties with Damascus after the war, but relations were downgraded.