Egypt to Continue Efforts with Qatar to Reach Gaza Cease-fire, Says Foreign Minister

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said Monday Cairo would press on joint efforts with the State of Qatar to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, stressing the need for the Security Council to assume its responsibilities to stop the systematic killing of the Palestinian people. In a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, Abdelatty said that their bilateral talks earlier in the day addressed the joint efforts made by Egypt, the State of Qatar and the US to reach an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Egypt will continue tireless efforts with partners to reach a deal that guarantees the exchange of prisoners and the cessation of aggression, he said, stressing that the establishment of a Palestinian state is mandatory for regional stability. The Middle East is going through extremely dangerous developments that increase the stakes of a large-scale war, he added, stressing the rejection of any violation of Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and stres sing the need to avoid dragging the region into a regional war. Meanwhile, Lavrov stressed the need to reach a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and provide more humanitarian aid, and the importance of continuing efforts to reach diplomatic solutions based on UN resolutions and the two-state solution. Abdelatty landed in Moscow on Sunday, on his first visit to Russia since assuming the office in Egypt's new government. Source: Qatar News Agency