Ashraf AboArafe
On September 22, Dr. Badr Abdelatty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration, and Egyptian Expatriates, met with the Rt. Hon. Yvette Cooper, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Minister Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to advancing bilateral relations with the United Kingdom across political, economic, trade, and investment fields, aspiring to elevate them to the level of a strategic partnership. He also expressed Egypt’s anticipation of the upcoming visit of the British Prime Minister to Cairo, which is expected to build on the positive momentum in relations reflected in the recent exchanges between President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and the British Prime Minister.
The Foreign Minister commended the historic decision taken by the United Kingdom on September 21 to recognize the State of Palestine, describing it as a highly significant message to the Palestinian people and a clear reaffirmation of the international community’s commitment to achieving their legitimate aspirations for statehood. He underscored that expanding recognition of an independent Palestinian state, based on the June 4, 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, remains the only path to ensuring security and stability for all peoples of the region. Abdelatty further called on the international community to take firm stances to halt Israel’s blatant violations in the occupied territories, end its war on Gaza, and stop the policy of starvation against innocent civilians. He highlighted the catastrophic humanitarian deterioration in Gaza and Israel’s continued obstruction of humanitarian and medical aid delivery.
On the Iranian nuclear file, Abdelatty emphasized that Egyptian diplomatic efforts contributed to the agreement signed in Cairo between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency to resume technical cooperation. He stressed the importance of giving diplomacy the space to rebuild trust and create an enabling climate for regional peace and stability. He added that Egypt’s intensive efforts in recent months have aimed at de-escalation and paving the way for renewed negotiations between the parties.
