Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty (R) meets his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shibani (L) on the sidelines of the Oslo Forum on Wednesday. Photo by Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
Abdelatty made the remarks during his meeting on Wednesday with his Syrian counterpart, Asaad al-Shibani, on the sidelines of the Oslo Forum.
This is the second time the two ministers have met. The first meeting occurred during the Arab League ministerial meeting in March.
According to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, al-Shibani briefed the Egyptian FM on recent political, security, and economic developments and the internal and external challenges facing Syria.
In return, Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt's support for the Syrian people and its backing of the country's stability, unity, and national institutions.
He emphasized that lasting stability in Syria requires involving all national forces in a political process that reflects the country's social, religious, sectarian, and ethnic diversity.
Moreover, the Egyptian FM stressed the need to combat terrorism and address the issue of foreign fighters to safeguard Syria's long-term stability.
International support, lingering tensions
On Tuesday, the IMF confirmed its first visit to Syria since 2009, marking a renewed effort to support economic recovery following the country's devastation after 14 years of war and the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad.
The IMF's visit follows EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica's announcement on 5 June of a €175 million recovery package for Syria. Suica described the package as a "clear support message" for reconstruction efforts and a token of the EU's commitment to a Syria-led recovery.
Still, these signs of international engagement come amid ongoing volatility.
Just days earlier, on 3 June, Israel shelled targets in southern Syria, the last in a series of Israeli attacks on the country.
Israel has carried out several major attacks on Syria in recent months, including its most extensive assault this year in May, when it launched over 20 airstrikes across the country, preceded by a strike near the presidential palace in Damascus.
Tensions had already escalated following Assad's fall in December 2024, when Israel expanded its occupation of the Golan Heights by seizing the UN-monitored buffer zone with Syria—an intrusion the United Nations deemed a violation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between the two countries.
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