Monitoring Desk
CAIRO: Foreign Minister Egypt Sameh Shoukry on Monday pledged solidarity with the people of Syria after a deadly earthquake during a rare visit to the country.
The trip is one of the latest illustrations of regional outreach to the internationally-isolated government of President Bashar al-Assad, which was expelled from the Cairo-based Arab League after Syria’s conflict began in 2011.
Sameh Shoukry is the third Arab foreign minister to meet Bashar al-Assad since the February 6 tremor jolted Syria and neighbouring Turkey killing over 46,000 people, after Jordan and the United Arab Emirates sent their top diplomats to the country.
Sameh Shoukry held talks with the Syrian President and his counterpart Faisal Mekded and said he delivered a message of “solidarity and sympathy” on behalf of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi.
Cairo was ready to provide more relief to the quake’s victims; he told the media in a news conference with Mekdad.
Egypt’s Top Diplomat in Quake Hit Syria
The Syrian President thanked Egypt for its “aid to assist efforts of the Syrian government to provide relief to those masses being affected by the major quake”, a statement from his office maintained.
Egypt sent three planes and two boats, including humanitarian aid to the quake-hit Arab country.
Asked by reporters whether Egyptian-Syrian relations would be fully restored, the Egyptian Foreign Minister said that the key purpose of his visit was “primarily humanitarian.”
He would also visit Turkey, where Cairo has had strained relations for over a decade.
Bashar al-Assad has been politically isolated in the region since the start of the war in Syria, which was further triggered by the government’s suppression of pro-democracy protests and demonstrations.
While Damascus and Cairo have largely managed to maintain ties during the conflict, several other Arab countries have severed relations with Syria.
But since the quake, the Syrian President has received calls and aid from Arab leaders; momentum analysts say he could leverage to enhance regional assistance.
On Sunday, a delegation of Arab parliamentary leaders called on Basharat-Al-Assad in Damascus, including the speaker of Egypt’s parliament, Hanafy al-Gebali.
Official media in Egypt described him as “the most senior Egyptian official to visit Syria in over a decade.
The official position of Egypt in Syria has called for “a political settlement,” steering clear of discussing the fate of Assad himself, whose departure has long been demanded by several leaders from the arab countries.
The conflict in Syria has claimed about 500,000 lives and displaced over half of the country’s population.
