Egyptian FM visits US to discuss Sudan, Gaza and Ethiopia dam
Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Badr Abdelatty, has visited the US to discuss a range of issues with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to Anadolu Agency via Middle East Monitor on July 31st.
In a post on X, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry wrote that the meeting was productive and addressed bolstering Cairo and Washington’s strategic ties, confronting key regional crises and Egypt’s water security.
During the meeting, which took place in Washington DC on July 30th, Rubio thanked Abdelatty for “Egypt’s steadfast support in securing the release of hostages held by Hamas,” according to the State Department readout.
It also outlined that “Secretary Rubio and Foreign Minister Abdelatty also discussed the necessity of a transition to civilian governance in Sudan.”
Egypt currently hosts over 1.5 million Sudanese refugees, the most of any country, who fled north across the border to escape the extremely violent civil war in Sudan, which erupted in April 2023 after a power struggle turned bloody.
Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, has previously cautioned that the large volume of refugees in the country is putting a lot of pressure on an already weak and struggling economy.
Abdelatty also emphasised the necessity of implementing a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and conceiving of a political roadmap to achieve a just and durable resolution to the Palestinian struggle.
He also asserted that any political settlement should take the form of an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, according to Egyptian Media via The New Arab on July 31st.
Abdelatty stressed “the need to reach a permanent ceasefire, given the worsening humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, the importance of ensuring the regular flow of humanitarian aid and beginning the process of early recovery and reconstruction.”
In late July, Egypt, alongside a handful of other countries, airdropped humanitarian packages into the famine-stricken Gaza strip for the first time in over six months.
However, Cairo has come under immense pressure to do more to alleviate Palestinian suffering at the hands of Israel. A wave of protests outside Egyptian embassies around the world erupted to condemn Egypt’s role in the closure of the Rafah border crossing, a crucial entry point for humanitarian aid. A group of Egyptian citizens also stormed the state security headquarters and detained officials for several hours to protest the blockade.
Abdelatty also met with Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, expressing concern regarding Egypt’s water security, emphasising “the rejection of unilateral measures that violate international law.”
This was in reference to Ethiopia’s recent completion of a mega dam on the Blue Nile, named the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Egypt, which has long been locked in a dispute with Ethiopia regarding the dam, worries that it places Cairo’s already insufficient water supply firmly in the hands of Addis Ababa.
Egypt has long sought US intervention in the dispute to pressure Ethiopia into ensuring it does not limit the flow of the Blue Nile. US President Donald Trump offered to intervene in exchange for Cairo taking in Palestinians from Gaza. However, Egypt rejected the offer.
Middle East Monitor, Maghrebi.org, The New Arab, Haaretz
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