Interim head of Libya s government Ramadan Abu Jnah speaks during a press conference on the upcoming December 24 elections, in the capital Tripoli (photo: AFP)
Partnering with the GCC
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri stressed this week that the security of Egypt and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are “an indivisible whole”, while the GCC expressed its support for Egyptian national security, including its water rights.
The statements came during a press conference held in Riyadh following the launch of a political consultation mechanism between Egypt and the GCC on Sunday.
Shoukri, attending the GCC meeting for the first time, spoke about the necessity of boosting coordination between the GCC and Egypt against the unprecedented challenges facing the region.
He added that security of the Arab Gulf was an integral part of the security of both Egypt and the Arab world.
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan stated during a press conference that coordination between the GCC and Egypt is an essential factor in the stability of the region.
GCC Secretary-General Nayaf bin Al-Hajraf said that Egypt was the pillar of security and stability in the region.
The meeting gave the foreign ministers of Egypt and the GCC states the chance to review growing developments at the regional and international levels, especially the situation in Libya and Syria which reflected the importance of joint Arab action as well as the need to maintain periodic institutional coordination between Arab countries, Shoukri said at the presser.
Egypt’s top diplomat underlined Egypt’s rejection of all attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of Arab countries or threaten their stability, stressing his country’s support for the Gulf countries in adopting moves they deem necessary to preserve their security and stability, a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry after the meeting noted.
Stronger African intelligence
Egypt’s General Intelligence Service (GIS) took over the presidency of the African Union (AU) Committee of Intelligence and Security Services (CISSA) from Nigeria on Sunday as Cairo was hosting the 17th conference of CISSA, an intelligence provider to AU states.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi highlighted, during his address to the African intelligence and security authorities during the CISSA conference held in Cairo this week, the importance of continuing to exert maximum efforts to protect Africa’s security and achieve the aspirations of its people.
The success of the multilateral security work system under the umbrella of CISSA would directly serve regional and international security objectives, Al-Sisi added.
The president pointed to the pivotal role played by CISSA and all African security authorities in contributing to facing the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and hailed their efforts in monitoring and following up on other security challenges facing the continent, including irregular migration, unemployment, cyber security, and organised crime.
CISSA, established in 2004 in Abuja, Nigeria, is concerned with providing timely and perceptive intelligence required for decision-making to the intelligence services of its more than 50 member states.
The committee’s headquarters was inaugurated by African leaders in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in February last year on the sidelines of the 33rd AU summit.
Before taking over the CISSA, Egypt assumed the chairmanship of the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) in November. In an address to the PSC, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri called for intensifying coordination among African countries to eliminate all forms of terrorism.
He also called for serious and urgent cooperation between African countries and regional, continental, and international institutions to confront the growing connection between funding terrorism and other forms of financial crimes.
PSC is the standing decision-making organ of the AU for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts. It has 15 members with equal voting powers, elected by the AU Executive Council and endorsed by the AU Assembly during its ordinary sessions.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 16 December, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.
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