Cairo, Aug 31 (IANS): Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Greek counterpart, George Gerapetritis, have stressed the importance of intensifying efforts to avoid the escalation of violence and instability in the Middle East.

During a phone conversation on Friday, the two ministers discussed the seriousness of the "rapid" developments in the region, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Abdelatty informed his Greek counterpart about the contacts Egypt is conducting with several countries in the region, the US and a number of European countries, in order to contain the current state of regional tension and escalation, Xinhua news agency reported.

For his part, the Greek foreign minister expressed his willingness to continue strengthening the strategic relations between Egypt and Greece at both bilateral and regional levels.

The two ministers agreed to maintain consultation and coordination in the interest of the peoples of the region, said the statement.