29 June 2016•Update: 30 June 2016
By Anees Bargouthi
RAMALLAH, Palestine
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Wednesday paid his first official visit to Ramallah, the Palestinian Authority’s administrative capital, where he voiced Egypt’s support for an independent Palestinian state.
"This is my first visit [to Ramallah] since I was appointed to the position [of foreign minister]," Shoukry said at a press conference held with Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Malki.
He went on to say that he brought a message of "solidarity and support" from Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi reiterating Cairo’s support for an independent state of Palestine.
"During my meeting with President Abbas we discussed the Egyptian-Palestinian relationship and the French peace initiative aimed at ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," he said.
Shoukry also noted that Egypt’s Rafah border crossing with the blockaded Gaza Strip would be opened on Wednesday for a five-day period.
"Egypt is concerned about the interests and needs of the Palestinian people in Gaza," he said.
Shoukry went on to attribute the current difficult circumstances at the Egypt-Gaza border to the fact that the Palestinian Authority was not in control of the Rafah crossing.
Al-Malki, for his part, said Shoukry’s visit had come at a "critical time", stressing the importance of Egypt’s role in the Palestinian file.
