Parliament speaker details Egypt position towards Syria 13-year crisis to date

Ahram Online , Sunday 15 Dec 2024

House of Representatives Speaker Hanafy El-Gebaly detailed on Sunday Egypt's position towards Syria during its 13-year crisis and until now, which focused on preserving Syria's territorial and national unity, ensuring its sovereignty over its territories without concession or diminution, rejecting foreign interference in its internal affairs, and respecting the choices of the Syrian people.

Speaker of Egypt's House of Representatives Hanafy El-Gebaly

El-Gebaly made these remarks during his speech at the plenary session of the House of Representatives in Cairo on the recent developments in Syria, whose capital Damascus has recently fallen, ending the Assad family's 50-year rule.

Egypt's position has been governed by considerations of preserving Arab national security, El-Gebaly added.

"The Arab national security is indivisible, and the deeply rooted historical relationship between Egypt and Syria makes Syria's security and stability a vital matter for Egypt, closely linked to Egypt's national security and Arab national security," El-Gebaly stated.

Furthermore, he said: “The Egyptian state has consistently adhered to United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2254 as the optimal framework for launching a comprehensive political process led by the free will of the Syrian people.”

He clarified that this framework seeks to establish a system that reflects the plurality of the people without fanaticism, sectarianism, or exclusion while preserving Syria's national institutions, which belong to the Syrians.

El-Gebaly noted that Egypt will remain a voice of reason and a supporter of efforts to restore Syria's role as a key pillar of the regional system and Arab national security.

A balanced approach to Syria's crisis

El-Gebaly also highlighted that Egypt has adopted a balanced position on the Syrian crisis, striving to maintain open communication channels with all Syrian parties, political forces, and social groups.

Egypt has received Syrians with respect and generosity, offering security and care and treating them as part of the Egyptian family, which reflects “true solidarity and support,” he affirmed.

The estimated 1.5 million Syrians in Egypt form the second-largest foreign community in the country after Sudanese nationals, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The UN refugee agency UNHCR has officially registered 148,439 Syrian refugees in Egypt, though many still await their yellow cards.

“We cannot overlook Egypt's steadfast shield and strong support, its valiant army, which has always been a fortress for the nation and a protective shield that defends its borders and safeguards its security and stability," El-Gebaly said, shedding light on the Egyptian army's role amid the grave challenges and turbulent events facing the region.

On Saturday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty condemned Israel’s occupation of Syrian territories and its violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement as a clear breach of international law, during the Arab Ministerial Contact Committee on Syria meeting held in Aqaba.

Moreover, the Arab League Council, initiated by Egypt in collaboration with several member states, also convened on Saturday to establish a unified Arab stance against Israel's occupation of additional territories in the Syrian Golan.

On 9 December, Egypt condemned Israel's seizure of the buffer zone with Syria and the adjacent commanding sites, describing it as "an occupation of Syrian lands and a blatant violation of Syria's sovereignty."

Following the fall of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad last week, Israeli forces have occupied the buffer zone in the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights and, subsequently, Jabal Al-Shaikh on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights.