Brussels: Europe and the Arabs

Ambassador Dr. Badr Abdel-Aty, Egyptian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium and Luxembourg, accredited to the European Union and NATO, met on the sidelines of the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg with a wide group of European Parliament representatives from various parliamentary committees. and political and partisan currents, including socialist, liberal, right-wing, green, and independent currents.

Those meetings included MP "David McCallister", Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, MP "Michael Gahler" of the European People's Party (EPP) from Germany, and MP "Pedro Marquez", Vice President of the "S&Ds" group for foreign relations, from Portugal. Representative "Isabel Santos", Head of the Delegation for Relations between the European Parliament and the countries of the Arab Levant (including Egypt), from Portugal, as well as Representatives "Thierry Mariani", "Hervé Jovan", "Jourdan Bardela", and Representative / "Aurelia Benoit" , from the Identity and Democracy ID group from France.

The Egyptian ambassador also met with Representative "Anna Fotyga" and Representative "Ryszard Zarnicki" from the "Reform Conservative Group" ECR from Poland, Representative "Antonio Lopez Astoriz" from the European People's Party EPP from Spain, and Representative "Gal Kanga" / independent from Hungary MP Geoffrey Didier of the European People's Party (EPP) from France, MP Jordi Soleil of the Greens from Spain, along with MP Tyneek Strick of the Greens from the Netherlands, and MP Kathleen Van Brempt of the "Green" group. Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&Ds), Belgium.

The meetings dealt with a number of important issues, foremost of which are the measures taken by the Egyptian government within the framework of the comprehensive modernization and development process that Egypt is witnessing, including political, economic, developmental, social and cultural aspects. As well as the path of strengthening the system of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

In this regard, the focus was on starting the first discussion sessions of the national dialogue in Egypt, which were inaugurated on May 3, 2023, with the wide participation of various currents, political parties and civil society organizations, and the start of the work of the political track. Ambassador Abdel Ati also reviewed the goals and axes of the three national dialogue, whether political, economic or social, and the topics targeted by those axes.

The launch of the national dialogue was appreciated by the representatives of the European Parliament as an important step on the path of expanding the scope of political participation and strengthening the exercise of political rights and other aspects of submission within the framework of strengthening the system of democracy and fundamental freedoms. The representatives of Parliament also expressed their wishes for the national dialogue to succeed and produce the desired results.
The ambassador also discussed other measures taken by Egypt to enhance human rights conditions, including what has been implemented within the framework of the National Strategy for Human Rights and the work achieved by the Presidential Pardon Committee.

The Egyptian ambassador also shed light on the negative repercussions of the Ukrainian crisis, which the world is facing, on the Egyptian economy. Pointing out the importance of the European Union providing the necessary support in facing the negative repercussions resulting from this crisis.

The important regional role that Egypt plays in enhancing security and stability in a region rife with conflicts was emphasized, as well as the European Union's reliance on the Egyptian role as a basic pillar for maintaining security and stability in the region. In addition to the Egyptian efforts at the level of regional and international issues, including the Palestinian cause and the situation in Syria and Libya.

In this context, the meetings focused on developments in the situation in Sudan, where the Egyptian ambassador reviewed the Egyptian efforts towards settling the crisis, which aim to establish and respect the cease-fire, and provide all guarantees to provide safe passages for the flow of humanitarian aid to civilians, as well as finding a political settlement to the crisis and persuading the two parties to sit down negotiation table to reach a political solution to the existing differences. It was agreed on the great importance of promptly providing financial and material support from the European Union to the displaced Sudanese in terms of urgent humanitarian services.
Ambassador Abdel Ati also discussed Egypt's role in hosting about 9 million refugees and immigrants on its lands and providing them with basic services. The importance of the European Union providing more support in this regard was noted, especially in light of the expectations of an increase in the number of displaced Sudanese to Egypt as a result of the current crisis in Sudan.

  The Egyptian ambassador shed light on the effective Egyptian role in combating terrorism and illegal immigration, as the successes achieved by Egypt in this regard were praised by the representatives of the European Parliament. The coordination between Egypt and the European Union in the field of combating terrorism and the start of the co-presidency between Egypt and the European Union of the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum were highlighted, and Egypt officially assumed the co-presidency during the meeting of the coordinating committee of the forum held in Cairo.