CAIRO: Egypt’s Sameh Shoukry will travel to Damascus on Monday in the first visit by an Egyptian foreign minister since Syria’s conflict erupted in 2011, according to a statement by the Egyptian foreign ministry.
Shoukry will visit Turkiye and Syria — both hit hard by a deadly earthquake on Feb. 6 — to “convey a message of solidarity from Egypt with the two countries” according to the foreign ministry statement.
Syria had been isolated by regional states over President Bashar Assad’s deadly crackdown of protests against him, with the Arab League suspending Syria’s membership in 2011 and many Arab countries pulling their envoys out of Damascus.
But Assad has benefited from an outpouring of support from Arab states following the quake, which killed more than 5,900 people across his country, according to a tally of UN and Syrian government figures.
Egypt’s President Abdul Fattah El-Sisi spoke with Assad by phone for the first time on Feb. 7 and on Sunday, a delegation of top parliamentarians from around the region — including Egypt’s parliament speaker — met Assad in Damascus.
Shoukry met his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad in 2021 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Cairo has sent several shipments of earthquake aid to Syria in recent weeks.
Erdogan and El-Sisi met and shook hands during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and Turkish companies earlier this month committed to $500 million in new investments in Egypt.
Egypt’s foreign minister to visit Syria, Turkiye on Monday
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Egypt’s foreign minister to visit Syria, Turkiye on Monday
- Shoukry will visit Turkiye and Syria to “convey a message of solidarity from Egypt with the two countries”
- Assad has benefited from an outpouring of support from Arab states following the quake
Over 600 Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa on 4th day of Hanukkah
- Jerusalem Governorate reported that settlers conducted provocative tours of Al-Aqsa courtyards and performed Talmudic ritual
LONDON: Israeli settlers entered the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the walled city of occupied East Jerusalem on Wednesday, the fourth day of the Jewish Hanukkah holiday.
Settlers toured the compound with Israeli forces, who imposed strict restrictions to hinder Palestinian access to the holy site. The Palestinian Authority-affiliated Jerusalem Governorate reported that 689 settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in groups, conducting provocative tours of its courtyards and performing Talmudic rituals, according to Wafa news agency.
In the northern West Bank, Israeli forces shot four Palestinians during a raid in the city of Nablus on Wednesday. The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that the injuries included a gunshot wound to the chest, a knee injury, a shrapnel wound, and fragments lodged in the head.
Forces raided the Aqaba neighborhood in the walled city of Nablus, as well as the vicinities of Ras Al-Ain, Khan Al-Tikar and Al-Shuhada. The operation resulted in confrontations with Palestinians, during which Israeli forces used live bullets and tear gas.
