CAIRO: Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates Badr Abdelatty has met Secretary-General of the UN Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the high-level segment of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Abdelatty conveyed greetings from President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to the UN secretary-general, emphasizing Egypt’s commitment to continuing to strengthen cooperation with the UN.
Guterres expressed his appreciation of the president’s wisdom and Egypt’s prudent policy in addressing international and regional issues and challenges. He highlighted Egypt’s pivotal role in the Middle East, the Arab and Islamic worlds, and Africa, reaffirming the depth of the country’s civilization and its distinguished regional and global role.
Tamim Khallaf, the spokesperson for the ministry, said that Abdelatty praised the UN secretary-general’s role in convening the Summit of the Future to support the multilateral work system, while welcoming the summit’s outcomes. He noted Egypt’s agreement with Guterres on the necessity of reforming the structure of the global financial system to make it fairer and more equitable for developing countries.
He also spoke of the importance of finding innovative solutions to expand access mechanisms for developing countries to concessional financing, alleviating the burden of existing debts, and supporting national developmental efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.
Abdelatty praised the secretary-general’s principled positions, which consistently support the principles of international law and the application of uniform standards concerning various regional issues, particularly the ongoing Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip and the worsening humanitarian catastrophe in that region.
He also referred to the Israeli military escalation in the region and the aggression facing the sovereignty of Lebanon, stressing that the current approach was driving the region toward the brink of disaster.
The meeting witnessed a discussion on several other regional issues, including developments in Libya, Sudan, Yemen, the Red Sea, and the Horn of Africa. It also addressed the importance of maintaining Somalia’s unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
Abdelatty also addressed the issue of water security and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, emphasizing its critical importance to Egypt in terms of national security.
He also reiterated Egypt’s rejection of any unilateral actions that would harm the interests of the downstream countries and violate established international norms governing transboundary water management.
Guterres stressed his appreciation of Egypt’s president, commending Cairo’s role as a founding member of the UN and its contributions to multilateral issues, the achievement of international peace and security, and the purposes and goals of the UN Charter.
Abdelatty also met the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
The meeting came within the framework of continuing communication between the two countries following the participation of Abdelatty in the inauguration ceremony of the Iranian president in July 2024, according to the Foreign Ministry of Egypt’s spokesperson.
The two sides exchanged views on various issues of common interest, especially developments in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon, and the Israeli military escalation and its repercussions on the region’s security.
They also affirmed the importance of de-escalation and the avoidance of sliding into a regional war that would threaten the security and stability of the region.
