Egypt is actively working to resolve regional conflicts, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told Bloomberg TV in an interview aired yesterday. Although rising tensions in countries across the Middle East have a “direct impact” on Egypt, they also pose challenges to greater security issues, such as border control, curbing illegal migration, and combating terrorism. Middle Eastern states are also quite interdependent on one and other, Shoukry also points out, noting that the resolution of conflict is key to achieving regional stability.

Topping Egypt’s regional agenda is reconciliation between Palestine’s rival factions Fatah and Hamas, which Shoukry says is a prerequisite to Arab-Israeli peace. Shoukry reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to the Arab peace initiative and stance on the Trump administration’s “unilateral” decision to officially recognize Jerusalem as a capital of Israel. He also stressed that a diplomatic solution was the only way forward, for the conflict with Israel, as well as the situation in Syria (watch here, runtime: 17:38).