Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi received U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday, who arrived in Cairo from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Presidential spokesperson Ahmed Fahmy stated that the U.S. Secretary conveyed President Biden's greetings and appreciation for Egypt's longstanding role in establishing peace and stability in the Middle East, praising the strategic partnership between the two countries and the continued consultations on various regional and international issues.
The meeting addressed the current situation in Gaza, reviewing the latest updates on joint mediation efforts aimed at achieving a ceasefire and exchanging detainees. President Sisi emphasized the need for an immediate ceasefire, pointing to the humanitarian disaster and famine threatening innocent civilian lives in the region, warning against the serious consequences of any military operation in the Palestinian city of Rafah. He also stressed the urgent need to deliver sufficient humanitarian assistance to the sector and emphasized the importance of opening horizons for the political path through intensive efforts to activate the two-state solution and establish an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
In turn, the U.S. Secretary commended Egypt's efforts toward calming the situation, confirming the United States' commitment to coordination and consultation to restore stability and security to the region. Both sides agreed on the importance of continuing joint efforts in this regard and the necessity of taking all measures to ensure the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza, while rejecting the displacement of Palestinians from their lands in any form.
Blinken, who began his sixth tour in the Middle East on Wednesday, is expected to meet with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry at the Tahrir Palace. Earlier, Blinken stated that he met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and efforts to increase assistance for Palestinians.
An Egyptian source told Sky News Arabia that the Arab six-member committee will discuss two main topics with the U.S. Secretary in Cairo: the situation in Gaza and opportunities for a ceasefire, and the future of the sector. The source revealed that the Arab committee meetings proposed amendments in the ways to restart negotiations to reach a comprehensive peace agreement. The source noted that the Arab six-member committee will confirm to Blinken that without a comprehensive settlement based on a two-state solution, the door will remain open for new rounds of conflict. Additionally, the committee's meeting is expected to produce a unified Arab position for discussion with the U.S. side, which, for its part, emphasized the importance of continuing close coordination with regional and international partners regarding the resolution of the conflict in Gaza.
