The chefs of Portuguese and Slovenian diplomacy travel, on the sixth fair and on Saturday, to Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Egypt, to meet with high-level counterparts aiming at “political dialogue” and “relaunching through diplomatic channels” to peace.
In a statement, the Government stated that the joint visit of the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, João Gomes Cravinho, and the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia, Tanja Fajon, aims to “continue the dialogue and consultations with the actors of the region, contributing to the ongoing political dialogue, which is essential to respond to the situation and relaunch the diplomatic path towards the construction of a lasting and sustainable peace, anchored in a two-state solution.
The Portuguese and Slovenian ministers will meet on Friday with their Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen, in the south of the country, and will be received by Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv.
On the same day, in Ramallah, in the West Bank, they will meet with the head of Palestinian diplomacy, Riyad al-Maliki, and will hold a meeting with the prime minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh.
According to a note from the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saturday will be dedicated to “dialogue on the current situation and prospects for peace in the region with two important regional partners: Jordan and Egypt.”
In Amman, the ministers met with Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.
In the afternoon, already in Egypt, João Gomes Cravinho and Tanja Fajon are scheduled to meet with their counterpart, Sameh Shoukry, as well as a courtesy meeting with the Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Also in Cairo, the ministers are scheduled to meet with the Secretary General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, in which they intend to address “the current situation from a regional perspective”, that is, the role of the organization and its cooperation. with the European Union, “with a view to peace and stability in the Middle East”.
A large-scale surprise attack was launched on October 7 by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas against Israel, causing, according to Israeli authorities, more than 1,200 deaths and 240 hostages.
In response, Israel declared war on Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007 and is classified as terrorist by the European Union and the United States, bombing several of the group’s infrastructure in the Gaza Strip and imposing a total siege on the territory. . cutting off the supply of water, fuel and electricity.
According to Hamas, Israeli retaliation has already killed more than 14,000 people.
The UN said more than two-thirds of the Gaza Strip’s 2.4 million people were displaced by the war, with most fleeing south.
Israel and Hamas have agreed to a four-day truce in fighting, which is expected to be announced soon, Qatar, one of the mediators, along with Egypt and the United States, announced today.
Qatar’s announcement comes after an Israeli national security adviser said the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip and the start of the truce, scheduled for this morning, will not occur before Friday.
Source: TSF
