Israeli Foreign Minister on a visit to Egypt to strengthen relations between the two countries
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Roshan Amiri
- . December 10, 2021
- . Update: December 11, 2021 12:35 am
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid arrived Thursday in Cairo for a visit, during which he met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.
The visit aims to strengthen relations between the two countries in various fields. The “situation in Gaza” was at the top of the files discussed by the Israeli minister and his Egyptian counterpart.
For his part, Lapid thanked Sisi for his “hospitality.” “Egypt is a particularly important strategic partner for Israel, and my goal is to strengthen our security, diplomatic and economic relations with Egypt, and it is important to continue working on peace between our two countries,” he said.
Lapid indicated that he discussed with Sisi “the situation in the Gaza Strip” and presented “Economy for Security program and the steps taken by the Israeli government regarding the Palestinian issue.”
He noted that they also discussed “Iran’s attempts to become a country with nuclear military capabilities.” At the end of their meeting, Lapid Shukri handed over a set of pharaonic artifacts that had been confiscated in Israel.
Egypt has been associated since 1979 with a peace agreement with Israel, the first of its kind with an Arab country, and it often mediates between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
Lapid’s visit to Egypt comes about three months after Sisi received Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in the tourist resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, in a visit that was the first at this level in ten years. During their meeting, they discussed the security file and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Cairo played a vital role in May when it succeeded in brokering a cease-fire in the 11 days of violent confrontations between Israel and Hamas that resulted in severe damage to the besieged Gaza Strip.
Despite Cairo’s support for the Palestinian Authority headed by Mahmoud Abbas, it always works to bring the Palestinian factions together by hosting rounds of dialogue between Hamas and Fatah.
Last month, Egypt and Israel agreed to increase the number of Egyptian forces deployed in the Rafah border area with the Gaza Strip, which was restricted under the peace treaty signed between the two countries.
