CAIRO, July 8 (NNN-MENA) – Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, and his British counterpart, Dominic Raab, held a phone conversation on Tuesday, to discuss regional issues including the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Libyan crisis and the Nile dam dispute.
On the Palestinian-Israeli issue, Shoukry underlined the importance of achieving just and comprehensive peace, based on the UN-proposed two-state solution, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ahmed Hafez, said.
The phone talk came, as Israel plan to annex occupied Palestinian lands, including the Jordan Valley and the northern West Bank.
The Egyptian top diplomat warned that, any unilateral move would “undermine stability and peace opportunities in the region,” Hafez said.
Raab tweeted that, they held important discussions on the Middle East peace process and the UK’s support for a two state-solution, as well as other regional issues.
The two officials also discussed the situation in war-torn Libya, which has been locked in a civil war since 2011.
Shoukry warned against foreign intervention in Libya, stressing the need for “a comprehensive political solution” to restore the national state of Libya and its institutions.
They also addressed the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) that Ethiopia is building on the Nile River.
Over the past few years, tripartite talks held by Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia, on the rules of filling and operating Ethiopia’s grand hydro-power dam have been fruitless, amid Egyptian concerns that the GERD would affect Egypt’s annual share of Nile water.
Shoukry highlighted the necessity to reach “a comprehensive, fair and balanced agreement by the three countries, on filling and operating the dam, while refraining from any unilateral action before concluding a prior agreement,” Hafez said.
The talks also discussed the growing Egyptian-British relations and their cooperation on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.– NNN-MENA
