The tour undertaken by Badr Abdelatty, Egypt’s foreign minister, to a number of Gulf states comes at a pivotal and highly complex moment for the region.
It coincides with an extremely sensitive period marked by rising regional tensions stemming from the ongoing war with Iran and the widening scope of its repercussions. In this tense environment, the crisis has expanded as Iranian attacks have extended to the Gulf states, making Egyptian diplomatic engagement a necessity to preserve regional stability and prevent the region from sliding into further escalation.
The most important message carried by Abdelatty’s tour is Egypt’s firm and unequivocal support for its brothers in the Gulf states, along with its readiness to provide whatever assistance may help strengthen their security and capabilities. Egypt considers Gulf security an integral part of Egyptian and Arab national security. It condemns Iranian attacks on the territories of Gulf states, while reiterating its rejection of the use of force as a means of resolving crises and calling for political and diplomatic solutions.
The tour also reflects Egypt’s determination to use all its efforts and its intensive contacts to contain the situation in the Gulf and prevent further escalation. Cairo played an active diplomatic role during the Muscat and Geneva rounds of negotiations with Iran, which came close to reaching acceptable compromise solutions between the different parties. It also supported these efforts through parallel positive contacts conducted by the foreign minister with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in an attempt to reinforce the path of de-escalation and a negotiated solution.
However, what can only be described as misguided and irresponsible incitement by Israel and its prime minister pushed the US towards engaging in the military option against Iran. This development has produced serious repercussions at both the regional and international levels. It has imposed severe pressures on the energy sector, maritime transport, and air traffic, while opening the door to a new phase of instability in the region.
It is against this backdrop that Abdelatty’s visit to the Gulf countries aims to intensify consultations and exchange views regarding how to manage the crisis as it develops. This includes coordinating positions and demonstrating Egypt’s full support for its Gulf partners, as well as sharing information and assessments available to Egypt as a result of its extensive contacts with key international actors, including both the United States and Iran.
The consultations may also address ways of managing the situation after the war has ended. Among the proposals under discussion could be strengthening joint Arab action in the security field, including the possibility of establishing a joint Arab force that could contribute to providing collective security for the Gulf states and the wider region.
Experience has shown that a complete reliance on foreign bases and external forces has not produced the desired stability. Such arrangements have often been linked to strategic priorities that do not necessarily reflect the interests of the region’s states, particularly the focus on protecting Israel’s security and advancing US objectives.
On another level, Abdelatty’s tour could represent an important opportunity to discuss with Gulf partners the future of the region in the medium and long term. One potential proposal would be the establishment of a regional system for security and cooperation, beginning with a declaration of principles for coexistence, security, stability, cooperation, and development among the states of the region. Such a declaration could be launched through a comprehensive conference bringing together the principal regional actors alongside the international powers and the United Nations.
This conference could adopt the declaration of principles and establish a permanent institutional mechanism for regional security and cooperation. This would operate through special committees dealing with a range of issues, including the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, water resources, security and counterterrorism, border demarcation, and cooperation in the energy sector.
Additional working groups could focus on emerging technologies, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. The outcomes of these would be submitted to a regional council of foreign ministers and subsequently to a regional summit on security, cooperation, and development.
Such an approach could constitute a strategic Arab and regional response to the challenges confronting the Middle East. It could also open the door to building more stable relations with neighbouring regional powers, including Iran and Turkey, and even Israel in the future, provided that the latter recognises a Palestinian state and respects the rights of the Palestinian people.
The Middle East remains almost the only region in the world that lacks a comprehensive institutional framework for regional security and cooperation. In this context, lessons can be learned from the Helsinki Final Act of 1975, which laid the foundations for the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe that played a central role in moving Europe from a period marked by confrontation and Cold War tensions towards one characterised by cooperation and stability.
Abdelatty’s visit to the Gulf reflects Egypt’s deep awareness of the gravity of the current moment. It also underscores the continuation of Egypt’s traditional role as a cornerstone of stability in the Middle East. Cairo is operating on multiple tracks and through close coordination with Gulf partners and through its extensive network of contacts with international and regional actors in order to contain tensions and prevent the region from sliding into a wider confrontation.
Egyptian diplomacy continues to emphasise political and diplomatic solutions to the region’s crises, based on the firm conviction that military escalation will only generate further instability and threaten both the security of the region and the interests of its peoples.
From this perspective, Abdelatty’s tour represents an important step towards strengthening Arab consultation and coordination, building a regional position that supports de-escalation, and opening pathways for dialogue aimed at addressing the root causes of crises in a manner that protects security and stability in the Middle East.
These diplomatic efforts reaffirm that Egypt, by virtue of its political weight and regional standing, will remain a central actor in any initiatives aimed at calming tensions and restoring balance in the region, serving the interests of its peoples and safeguarding their security, and rejecting escalation policies that may serve external powers without genuine regard for the stability of the Gulf states and the region as a whole.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 19 March, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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