Ali commends Egypt's FM for clarifying position on GERD

Egyptian Member of Parliament and Director of the Center for Middle East Studies in Paris, Abdel Rahim Ali, described today the latest Arab and European tour by Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shourkri, as "successful."

Ali underscored the importance of the messages of Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, handed by Shoukri to the leaders of the countries he visited within the six-day tour.

The messages, he said, primarily focused on developments on negotiations on the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD).

"The tour and the messages acquire their importance from that they aimed at clarifying Egypt's position on the Ethiopian dam," Ali said in a statement.

The tour of the foreign minister included Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, Belgium, and France.

Ali said the president's messages to the leaders of the countries visited by the foreign minister also aimed at underlining Egypt's keenness on preserving its historical rights to the Nile River.

Ali also praised the keenness of the foreign minister to explain Egypt's position on a wide range of issues, including the Palestinian issue, developments in Libya, and other developments in the wider Middle East region.

He also discussed means of enhancing the partnership between Egypt and the European Union in all fields, Ali said in his statement.

He said this partnership is based on cooperation with the aim of achieving stability and security for peoples living on the two banks of the Mediterranean.

Ali also highlighted the importance of relations between Egypt and France in all political, economic, and trade fields.