Cairo, March 11 (IANS) Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held phone calls on Wednesday with his counterparts from Jordan, Bahrain, and Iran, calling for calm in the region on the heels of the US-Israel war on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory attacks, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
During the phone calls, Abdelatty urged mobilising regional and international efforts to contain the escalation, and to rely on dialogue and diplomacy to prevent the expansion of conflict.
He warned that the growth of the military operation would jeopardize the security and stability of the whole region, reiterating the importance of intensifying efforts to maintain the regional stability and to safeguard international navigation security, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Abdelatty and the Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi discussed the present serious situation in the region and stressed the importance of stopping the acceleration of the conflict expansion with the neighbouring countries.
Abdelatty also renewed calls for respecting the principle of good neighbourhood and the country’s sovereignty, emphasising that the diplomatic path is the only way to contain tensions.
On March 5, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi addressed the ongoing Middle East crisis triggered by US-Israeli attacks on Iran, noting that Egypt is pursuing mediation efforts to halt the war, according to an Egyptian Presidency statement.
During a ceremony organised by the Egyptian Military Academy, the Egyptian president said the war reflects miscalculations and misjudgments.
He noted that Egypt has faced numerous difficult circumstances, challenges, and provocations in recent years, but has exercised “great patience” in the face of accusations and conspiracies.
Sisi added that this patience has proven successful and effective and has been applied in Egypt’s dealing with certain countries.
He warned that the current crisis could affect prices and cautioned against exploiting the situation to raise or manipulate them, stressing that Egypt is in a near state of emergency and that people’s essential needs must not be compromised.
–IANS
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