CAIRO, May 26 — Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Monday held separate talks over phone with his counterparts of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Cyprus to discuss the ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran, as Cairo pushes for diplomatic solutions to avoid regional escalation.
The Egyptian foreign ministry said that Abdelatty and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan discussed the rapid regional developments regarding the U.S.-Iran negotiation process.
During the phone conversation, Abdelatty stressed the importance of prioritizing diplomacy as the sole option to resolve outstanding issues and protect the region from the risks of an expanding conflict.
He also said that any future agreement must take into account the security concerns of the Gulf states to ensure Arab national security and achieve regional peace and stability.
In another phone conversation, Abdelatty and Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos exchanged views on the progress of the U.S.-Iran negotiation process, alongside broader regional developments and ways to de-escalate tensions.
Abdelatty briefed the Cypriot foreign minister on Egypt’s ongoing efforts to achieve de-escalation in coordination with regional partners, highlighting the necessity of intensifying regional and international efforts to advance diplomatic solutions, so as to prevent the region from sliding into a new phase of instability.
For his part, the Cypriot foreign minister expressed his country’s appreciation for Egypt’s efforts to achieve calm.
Iran and the United States reached a ceasefire on April 8 after 40 days of fighting. Following the truce, they held one round of peace talks in Islamabad on April 11 and 12, but failed to yield an agreement.
Over the past weeks, the two sides reportedly exchanged several proposed plans outlining conditions for peace. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
