Cairo, Jan 17 (IANS): Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held separate phone talks with his Iranian and Italian counterparts to exchange views on a recently reached ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
In his talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Abdelatty stressed, "Egypt attaches high importance to implementing the deal with no delay," reiterating the importance of urgent and sustainable access to relief and medical aid for the Gaza Strip.
Araghchi hailed the Egyptian efforts and pivotal role in helping achieve the deal.
The Egyptian foreign minister highlighted the role that the international community should play in reconstructing Gaza, rehabilitating its infrastructure, and restoring security and stability to its people.
The two ministers also discussed regional developments, especially the tensions in the Red Sea, Xinhua news agency reported.
Abdelatty said he hopes that the ceasefire deal will restore stability and calm and reduce escalation in the Red Sea region in a way that maintains the freedom of international traffic.
In his discussions with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, the Egyptian foreign minister reviewed the Egyptian mediation efforts in coordination with Qatar and the United States to reach the deal.
Tajani welcomed the deal, praising the Egyptian efforts that contributed directly to concluding the truce agreement.
The long-awaited truce agreement between Hamas and Israel was reached in Doha on Wednesday, according to Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
Meanwhile, President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, held discussions on bilateral relations and pressing regional issues, on Thursday.
The talks, which took place during Sisi's working visit to the UAE, focused on expanding bilateral cooperation across development, economic, and investment sectors, aiming to align with the two nations' shared aspirations for progress and prosperity, Xinhua news agency reported quoting UAE's official news agency WAM.
On regional issues, the two leaders welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
They emphasised the importance of ensuring adequate humanitarian aid reaches the enclave.