CAIRO, July 14 (MENA) - Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigration Badr Abdelatty held talks on Monday with Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel to explore ways of strengthening bilateral relations and addressing key regional issues.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 5th Ministerial Meeting of EU Foreign Ministers with their Southern Neighbourhood counterparts in Brussels.

Abdelatty said Egypt is committed to advancing its bilateral ties with Portugal across the political, economic, and cultural spheres.

He also expressed his desire to bolster cooperation between the two countries in implementing the pillars of the strategic and comprehensive partnership between Egypt and the European Union (EU), particularly in its economic, trade, and investment dimensions.

In this context, he welcomed the recent development regarding the approval of the second tranche of the EU’s macro-financial assistance package to Egypt, amounting to €4 billion.

The Egyptian top diplomat also briefed his Portuguese counterpart on ongoing efforts in collaboration with Qatar and the United States to reach a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.

He noted that Egypt plans to host a Gaza Reconstruction Conference immediately following any announcement of a ceasefire.

Abdelatty further stressed the importance of achieving a comprehensive and lasting resolution that guarantees the rights of the Palestinian people and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967 borders, with al Quds (East Jerusalem) as its capital to secure peace and stability in the region. (MENA)

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