According to the Egyptian presidency, El-Sisi asserted to Al-Kadhimi that Egypt was ready to exert all effort to safeguard Iraq’s safety and to open a path for dialogue and end the current escalation.

Al-Khadimi was in a visit to Egypt last week to attend a meeting with four Arab Leaders but had to cut short his visit follow the developments.

From his side, Al-Kadhimi expressed his appreciation for President El-Sisi’s concern following up the situation in Iraq as part of the deep relations between the two countries and their people, the presidency said.

The Egyptian president also expressed Egypt’s full support to Iraq in the current circumstances to his Iraqi counterpart President Braham Salih in another telephone call, according to the presidency.

El-Sisi stressed on the importance of dialogue and a path of understanding that puts Iraq’s interest above any other consideration to safeguard the country’s sovereignty, stability and security.

Egypt is ready, along other Arab states, to support joint efforts to end any escalation and confrontation, he added.

From his side, the Iraqi president expressed his extreme appreciation for President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Egypt’s historical support to Iraq.

Egypt-Iraqi relations have been improving in recent years and El-Sisi visited Baghdad in June 2021 to become the first Egyptian President to travel to Iraq since former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990.

“I follow with a concern the current situation in Iraq, and I am saddened with the current development in this brotherly country, which has strong historical ties with Egypt,” President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on his social media accounts, adding that Egypt fully supports the security and stability of Iraq as well as the safety of its own people

“I call all Iraqi parties to give precedence to the supreme interest of Iraq in order to overcome the political crisis through dialogue in a way that achieves stability, stability and prosperity for all Iraqis,” the Egyptian president said.

Fifteen protesters were killed Monday after supporters of cleric Moqtada Sadr stormed the government palace in Baghdad's Green Zone after the powerful Shia leader said he was quitting politics earlier Monday.

Iraq has been mired in political deadlock since legislative elections in October last year, due to disagreement between Shia factions over forming a coalition.