Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty speaks to Abdel-Fatau Musah, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission during their meeting in Abuja. Photo courtesy of Egyptian Foreign Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This occurred during FM Abdelatty's meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, with ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security Abdel-Fatau Musah, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
At the beginning of the meeting, Abdelatty extended Egypt’s congratulations on the occasion of ECOWAS’s 50th anniversary.
He also praised the community’s achievements in advancing regional integration, particularly facilitating the free movement of people and boosting intra-regional trade among member states.
Moreover, he commended ECOWAS’s efforts to uphold peace and security across West Africa.
FM Abdelatty also emphasized the deep-rooted historical ties between Egypt and ECOWAS member states and reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to sharing its expertise and capabilities across various sectors.
He highlighted Egypt’s strong African identity and steadfast dedication to promoting stability, security, and development across the continent.
Furthermore, he called for developing a practical and constructive framework for enhanced coordination and cooperation between Egypt and ECOWAS in confronting terrorism and extremism.
Abdelatty reiterated Egypt’s firm stance rejecting all forms of violence and terrorism, particularly in the Sahel and West Africa, expressing Cairo’s full readiness to support the region’s counterterrorism efforts.
In this respect, he expressed Egypt's desire to expand collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission in training, capacity building, and technical assistance for the regional counterterrorism force.
The minister also proposed exploring avenues for preventive cooperation under a comprehensive strategy addressing the ideological, developmental, and security dimensions of terrorism. This includes support for disarmament, demobilization, reintegration (DDR) programmes, community reconciliation, transitional justice, and anti-extremism initiatives.
Egypt's top diplomat also highlighted the Cairo International Centre for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Peacebuilding's (CCCPA) critical role in providing specialized capacity-building programmes on counterterrorism and cross-border threats, in collaboration with regional and international partners.
Abdelatty further underscored the pivotal contribution of Al-Azhar, Egypt’s leading Sunni Muslim institution, in combating extremist ideologies and promoting the values of moderation and tolerance through its scholarly missions deployed across Africa.
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