Middle East09 August, 20262 min read
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty Plans Visit to Damascus as Relations Progress
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Egypt-Syria relations are normal and progressing, with historical goodwill between peoples. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty plans to visit Damascus.
Cairo Eyes Damascus
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty said in an interview with Al-Ghad TV aired Saturday evening that Egyptian-Syrian relations are normal and that he intends to visit Damascus in the future. He said the Syrian Foreign Minister previously visited Cairo and pointed to visits by Egyptian economic and commercial delegations to Syria as relations progress at the political and economic levels.
Abdel Aty stressed that Cairo supports Syria’s security, stability, and the welfare of the Syrian people, describing Syria’s stability as serving Egypt and the Arab world. He added that Egypt’s stance on developments in Syria is linked to pushing for a comprehensive political process that includes all parties and excludes no one, alongside handling the terrorism file and ensuring Syrian territory does not become a source of any threat.
Guidance, Not Interference
In statements carried by Egyptian media, Abdel Aty said Egypt communicates to the Syrian side its view on several files, foremost among them the necessity that the political process be inclusive and exclude no party. He said Cairo’s support is driven by security and stability concerns, and he framed it as a direct Egyptian and Arab interest rather than interference in Syria’s affairs.
Al-Jazeera Net quoted Abdel-Ati saying, "If there are any matters or advice, Egypt passes them to the brothers in Syria because their security and stability is a definite Egyptian and Arab interest." The same outlet also cited Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s reception of an Egyptian Chambers of Commerce delegation in January, where al-Sharaa said, "the Syrian-Egyptian relationship is not a luxury, but a duty," linking integration to regional security and economic stability.
Regional Links and Iraq
Beyond Syria, Abdel Aty said Egypt supports Iraq’s stability, the restoration of state authority, and strengthening its institutions, while also backing the Iraqi government’s move to confine weapons to the hands of the state. He said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi spoke to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Zaidi after his election and offered his congratulations, and he described weekly communications with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.
شبكة دال said Abdel Aty warned that armed groups or forces operating outside the official framework pose a challenge to security and stability, tying the point to Egypt’s insistence on restricting tools of power and weapons to official state institutions. Al-Jazeera Net added that in May the Syrian Foreign Minister visited Cairo with an economic delegation and met his Egyptian counterpart, and it said last month Yahya Diab assumed his duties as Chargé d’Affaires in Cairo while Mohammed Al-Fqi took up his post in Damascus.