By Manal Abdel Fattah
Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, the official spokesman and Director of the Public Diplomacy Department at the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry received a phone call from Antonio Taiani, Deputy Prime Minister and Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, who discussed the situation in Gaza and developments on the regional scene.
The official spokesman for the Foreign Ministry stated that the contact between the two ministers comes within the framework of the Italian side’s keenness to exchange assessments and visions on the latest developments in regional situations, especially with the start of the Italian presidency of the G7, as well as prior to the visit of the Italian Foreign Minister to the region, noting that the two ministers’ discussions focused on addressing various issues. Aspects of the deteriorating humanitarian and security conditions in the Gaza Strip, where the Italian Foreign Minister, for his part, thanked Egypt for the pivotal role it plays in facilitating the delivery of Italian humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
In connection with this, Minister Shukri stressed that reaching a comprehensive and immediate ceasefire in Gaza remains the only way to end the crisis situation in Gaza and limit the increase in violence in the region, stressing the need for important international parties such as the G7 to assume their political and moral responsibilities towards supporting a ceasefire. fire in accordance with the General Assembly’s resolution in this regard, and in a manner that allows for the full implementation of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, as well as to ward off any Israeli attempts to displace the Palestinians outside their country.
In a related context, Ambassador Abu Zeid explained that the two ministers’ discussions also extended to include the current tensions in the region against the backdrop of the situation in Gaza, including in the Lebanese arena, and the security of navigation in the Red Sea, where the two ministers agreed on the importance of intensifying movements at the regional and international levels in order to limit By expanding the circle of conflict in the region, and stimulating efforts to reduce escalation with the various parties in support of the pillars of regional and international peace and security.
On the other hand, the Italian Foreign Minister stressed his country’s keenness to enhance aspects of economic and development cooperation with Egypt for its important role as a gateway to Africa, and within the framework of the ongoing arrangements for holding the Italy-Africa Conference this month, which Minister Shoukry emphasized the importance of, wishing great success for the Italian side in the work of the conference. .
The two ministers agreed to continue consultations during the coming period to enhance ways to reduce the crisis in Gaza, and to advance truce efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading to other parts of the region.
