Abdelatty made his remarks during a press conference on Tuesday with Senegal's Minister of African Integration, Foreign Affairs, and Senegalese Abroad, Cheikh Niang, following talks in Cairo.
Held ahead of the African Union Summit early next week, the ministers' talks covered the Horn of Africa, the Middle East, and a range of African security and development issues, including Gaza, Sudan, counterterrorism in West Africa and the Sahel, and water security, according to a ministry statement.
On Gaza, Abdelatty said discussions addressed what he called the Arabs’ and Muslims’ foremost issue — the Palestinian cause. He stressed the importance of supporting efforts to implement US President Donald Trump’s peace plan.
He also underlined the need to swiftly conclude the second phase, implement all its obligations, and consolidate the ceasefire in Gaza, in line with the agreement signed at the Sharm El-Sheikh summit.
Regarding Sudan, Abdelatty stressed the need to preserve Sudan’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, rejecting parallel entities or governments.
He said Egypt rejects any equivalence between Sudanese state institutions and militias, and would not accept any attempt to detach any region from Sudan.
He said Egypt is working toward a humanitarian truce that could lead to a ceasefire and an inclusive political process that “does not exclude anyone,” culminating in the formation of a civilian government.
Abdelatty also reiterated Egypt’s “full rejection” of any move that undermines Somalia’s unity and territorial integrity, describing Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as a unilateral, illegal, and illegitimate act that affects security and stability and constitutes a blatant breach of international law.
On water security, Abdelatty said the talks addressed the issue in light of water scarcity across Africa, particularly Egypt, which he described as being in a water-poverty zone.
He briefed Niang on developments related to Ethiopia’s dam, stressing the need to reject and halt unilateral measures on the Nile, and said transboundary rivers must be governed by international law, especially the principles of no harm and prior notification.
He thanked Senegal for supporting Egypt, and also thanked the UAE foreign minister for what he described as a Senegalese-Emirati consensus backing Egypt to chair the interactive dialogue on water at the 2026 UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi.
He also congratulated Senegal on its chairmanship of the ECOWAS Commission, and on Senegal’s co-presidency with the UAE of the 2026 conference, the statement said.
On bilateral cooperation, Abdelatty said Egypt views Senegal as a strategic partner in West Africa, and reaffirmed Egypt’s support for Senegal’s five-year plan and “Vision 2050.”
He said Egypt is ready to support Dakar through expertise in new cities and infrastructure, irrigation networks and land reclamation, and to transfer know-how in agro-industry, livestock, fisheries, and the cultivation of strategic crops.
He said Egyptian companies are interested in expanding work in Senegal, including enabling Egyptian medicines and medical supplies to access the Senegalese market and establishing what he described as an “Egyptian medicine line” in Senegal, with Cairo viewing Senegal as a gateway to West Africa.
He cited the role of Egypt’s private sector in delivering priority projects, saying this was underscored during his visit to Dakar in July 2025, accompanied by private-sector representatives and investors.
Abdelatty said the talks also addressed direct maritime and air links, and cooperation in gas, mining and fisheries, alongside agriculture and food-security projects, including a planned initiative in the Senegal River Basin to cultivate strategic crops, which he said would serve as a starting point for strengthening economic ties.
The two sides also discussed education and capacity building. Abdelatty pointed to efforts to open French-language university departments in Egypt to attract Senegalese students, citing the competitiveness of Egypt’s education services, and highlighted the upcoming opening of Senghor University in Alexandria as a boost to academic cooperation with Francophone African countries.
He also cited Al-Azhar’s role in teaching Arabic and promoting moderate Islam, and noted training programmes offered by the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development and the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding.
On security in West Africa and the Sahel, Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt’s support for counterterrorism efforts and called for a comprehensive approach combining security and development, praising Senegal’s mediation role between the three Sahel states and ECOWAS, the statement said.
The ministers agreed to continue building on momentum in relations, enhance political coordination, exchange support for nominations to international posts, and align positions on regional and international issues, the ministry said.
Abdelatty also underlined Egypt’s role in post-conflict reconstruction and development, its current chairmanship of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Steering Committee, and Egypt’s presidency this month of the African Union Peace and Security Council, alongside Senegal’s chairmanship of the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW).
The talks concluded with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Egypt’s Diplomatic Studies Institute and Senegal’s National School of Administration to exchange expertise and cooperate on training activities, the statement said.
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