Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Josep Borrell, the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, convened on Sunday to address the pressing Gaza crisis. This came on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth, and Energy for Development in Riyadh. The two sides delved into crucial international and regional matters, with Gaza taking centre stage. Shoukry and Borrell commended the political accord inked by Egypt and the EU on March 17, which elevated their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership. They emphasised the urgency of the situation, and they examined the latest security and humanitarian updates in the Gaza Strip, drawing on insights gleaned from engagements with regional and global stakeholders to bring an end to the conflict and mitigate the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe. Borrell sought updates on the ongoing negotiations between Hamas and Israel for an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages and detainees. Shoukry underscored Egypt's pivotal role in facilitating humanitarian aid into Gaza, stressing the imperative of coordinated international pressure to avert an Israeli ground operation in Rafah, located in southern Gaza. The two parties reiterated their rejection of forced displacement in Gaza and called for the cessation of unilateral actions, extending their concern to the West Bank and Jerusalem. Shoukry urged the EU to adopt a resolute, unified stance to compel Israel to remove obstacles hindering humanitarian aid and pursue a comprehensive political resolution, anchored in the two-state solution. Expressing the EU's backing for Egypt's mediation and de-escalation efforts, Borrell affirmed their commitment to maintaining close consultation in the days ahead. This aims to end the Gaza conflict and kick-start a substantive political process aimed at establishing an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders.
