Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Tuesday appealed to the United States and Iran to show flexibility at this stage, stressing the importance of dialogue and mutual understanding “before it is too late” and warning that the alternative would have “catastrophic” consequences for the region. Speaking at a news conference in Cairo alongside Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar, Sisi warned against any threat to Saudi Arabia’s security, reiterating Egypt’s “categorical rejection of any threat to the security and stability of the Kingdom and other Gulf states.” According to the Egyptian presidency, Sisi’s talks with his Slovenian counterpart, who is making her first visit to Egypt, covered bilateral relations and the latest regional and international developments. Sisi reaffirmed Egypt’s longstanding position on developments in the region, calling for regional de-escalation and political solutions to prevent the Middle East from sliding into a wider conflict. He urged the parties involved in the current crisis between Iran and the US to allow room for dialogue and understanding and reach a political agreement that addresses the main demands of all sides. The Egyptian president stressed the importance of dialogue and consensus “before it is too late.” “The alternative would have catastrophic repercussions and consequences for the region and the world, which has been suffering successive crises for six years,” he warned. Sisi appealed to Washington and Tehran to “show the greatest possible flexibility at this stage to find areas of common understanding that would allow the existing dispute to be resolved.” He also reaffirmed Egypt’s full support for and solidarity with Arab countries, stressing his firm belief that Arab national security is “one indivisible whole.” Sisi expressed confidence in Trump as “a man of peace who has succeeded in defusing many difficult crises.” He urged the US president to “make every possible effort to provide mediators with all available forms of support and assistance to reach the best possible settlement, spare the region further suffering and give its peoples hope for a better life.” Palestinian cause Sisi stressed that the Palestinian cause “remains the central issue in the Middle East and one of the issues that reflects the international community’s commitment to the principles of justice and international law.” He stressed the importance of all parties fully implementing the US president’s peace plan for Gaza and ensuring safe access for humanitarian assistance. He also called for preserving the territorial unity of the Palestinian territories and rejecting any attempts to displace Palestinians from their land. For her part, Pirc Musar said at the news conference that “peace cannot be achieved in the Middle East without the Palestinian people obtaining their rights.” She reaffirmed Slovenia’s commitment to its position on the Palestinian issue and to respecting international humanitarian law. Sisi praised his Slovenian counterpart’s international positions and policies supporting international law and peace, including in Gaza, noting that these positions had always been appreciated. On bilateral relations, Sisi explained that the talks reflected a shared vision of building on progress made in relations between the two countries in recent years. “We agreed to continue working to strengthen political consultations, develop economic and investment cooperation, and coordinate on regional and international issues amid the current overlapping crises,” he stated. Cooperation and partnership Sisi described Slovenia as an important partner for Egypt in Central Europe and announced an agreement with his counterpart on the need for a qualitative leap in bilateral cooperation. The two leaders agreed to establish a timetable-based action plan to develop trade and investment cooperation mechanisms and strengthen direct contacts between their business communities. Priority sectors include energy and related industries, transportation, tourism, culture, telecommunications and digital transformation, with the aim of opening new opportunities for production, investment and trade. According to the Egyptian presidency, the talks also highlighted the importance of strengthening logistics and maritime transport cooperation, linking Egyptian ports with Slovenia’s Port of Koper and integrating supply chains between the two countries. Sisi stressed the need to continue strengthening the partnership between Egypt and the European Union, as well as deepening Egyptian-Slovenian cooperation to advance broader Egypt-EU relations. Former Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister Ambassador Gamal Bayoumi described calls for de-escalation and peace in the region as essential amid signs of growing regional tensions. “There is an awareness on the European side of Egypt’s central role in the regional peace process and Cairo’s ability to serve as a trusted mediator for de-escalation, dialogue and regional peace,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat. Bayoumi added that Egypt and Slovenia share common positions on several regional issues, including the security of waterways, given their importance to trade between the two countries. He noted that the Slovenian president’s visit demonstrated her commitment to strengthening trade and economic cooperation with Cairo, describing bilateral relations as “historic and a gateway to Egyptian-European relations.” Bayoumi also pointed to Slovenia’s interest in expanding investment in the Suez Canal region, its expertise in metal industries and its imports of Egyptian food products. “There are promising opportunities to expand cooperation between the business communities of the two countries,” he remarked.
