Egypt's foreign minister meets with Assad
DAMASCUS - Egypt's foreign minister has arrived in Damascus as part of the first visit by a top Egyptian diplomat since foreign-backed militancy began in Syria more than a decade ago. Sameh Shoukry met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at the presidential palace on Monday and reiterated his country's solidarity with Syria and its willingness to continue supporting Syrians after the devastating Feb. 6 earthquake, Syria's official news agency SANA reported.
He also conveyed Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's greetings to the Syrian leader and called for the further development of long-standing and friendly relations between the two countries Shoukry described Cairo-Damascus relations as essential to protecting the Arab world from potential threats and challenges, stressing that Egypt will always support any initiative that could help Syria and would serve the interests of all Syrians. For his part, Assad underscored the historic importance of Syrian-Egyptian relations, stressing that promoting diplomatic ties between Arab countries will actually improve Arabs' living standards.
He also paid tribute to Egypt's warm welcome to Syrian refugees after the country's foreign-backed crisis erupted, saying such behavior testified to the strong ties already in place between the two nations. "The aim of the visit is primarily humanitarian and to pass on our solidarity - from the leadership, the government and the Egyptian people to the Syrian people," Sameh Shoukry told reporters upon his arrival in Damascus. Egypt is looking forward to providing more earthquake aid "in full coordination with the Syrian government," having already donated around 1,500 tons, added Shoukry, standing alongside his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad.
"When the foreign minister of Egypt comes to Damascus, he comes to his homeland, his people and his country," Mekdad said. A day earlier, several Arab parliamentary speakers and top lawmakers had arrived in Damascus to restore Syria's membership of the Arab League, which was suspended almost 12 years ago due to the country's foreign-sponsored conflict. The MPs were received by Syrian People's Assembly Speaker Hammouda Sabbagh, who stated that Syria's return to Arab diplomacy is vital to any joint Arab action to address the current challenges and crises.
