Ashraf AboArafe
On June 10, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with Naledi Pandor, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa, on the sidelines of his participation in the meeting of foreign ministers of the BRICS countries in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod, where they discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations and developments in regional and international files of common interest.
According to a statement by Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, the official spokesman and Director of the Public Diplomacy Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Sameh Shoukry began the meeting by offering congratulations to his counterpart on the completion of the electoral process in South Africa in an atmosphere of peace and integrity that respects and meets the aspirations of the South African people.
The two ministers discussed ways to enhance cooperation between the two sides in various sectors, stressing their keenness to raise the level of bilateral relations to the level of strategic partnership, to include cooperation and mutual coordination in all priority issues for the two countries, in a way that achieves the interests of the two peoples.
The official spokesman added that, in connection with the developments in the Gaza Strip and the situation at the Rafah crossing, Minister Sameh Shukri warned of the extreme danger of the situation there, the tragic humanitarian repercussions and the ongoing bleeding of lives, stressing Egypt’s rejection of all military actions and grave Israeli violations in the Palestinian Rafah. He reviewed Egypt’s efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip to alleviate the suffering of our Palestinian brothers. Shukri praised South Africa’s position in supporting the Palestinian issue at the International Court of Justice and pushing forward to find a just and lasting solution to that issue.
Ambassador Abu Zeid added that the two ministers stressed the importance of enhancing the level of coordination between Egypt and South Africa on all issues of the African continent, especially issues related to the African Union, most notably the 2025 Commission leadership elections, and strengthening governance and institutional reform. The latest developments in the Sudanese crisis and the importance of intensifying joint action to reach solutions that lead to stopping the armed conflict were also discussed. Developments in eastern Democratic Congo and northern Mozambique and efforts aimed at finding practical, implementable solutions to confront the challenges facing the countries of the continent were reviewed.
The discussions also touched on the continuation of the Russian-Ukrainian war and the role that African mediation can play, in light of the repercussions of this crisis on the countries of the continent. The two ministers also stressed the need to maintain the existing coordination between Egypt and South Africa regarding all these issues and challenges, taking into account the main role of the two countries on the African arena, due to their international and regional weight.
