CAIRO: Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry held a meeting with his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Mekdad, in Cairo on Saturday, marking the first high-level meeting between the two countries since the start of Syria’s civil war over a decade ago.
The meeting comes as several Arab countries, including Egypt, rushed to aid Syria after a devastating earthquake hit the war-torn country in February, killing tens of thousands of people.
Discussions between the two ministers focused on supporting the Syrian people in restoring the country’s unity and sovereignty over its territories, as well as intensifying channels of communication between the two nations.
Egyptian Foreign Minister calls for political settlement to
The Egyptian Foreign Minister called for a comprehensive political settlement to the Syrian crisis and reiterated Cairo’s support for the United Nations special envoy’s efforts to resolve the conflict.
The visit by Mekdad is a sign of amplified Arab engagement with the Damascus government, which has been politically isolated in the region since the start of the war and was expelled from the Cairo-based Arab League in 2011 over its violent crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations.
The United Arab Emirates has led efforts to reintegrate Syria into the wider region, with President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan saying last month that “the time has come” for Syria to return to the Arab fold.
