Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with his French, Greek and Cypriot counterparts in Athens Friday to discuss recent developments affecting “peace and stability in the region,” according to a ministry statement. The meeting was a follow-up of the group’s first meeting held in Cairo in January 2020. This coincided with the start of air and naval drills between Egyptian, Greek, Cypriot and Emirati forces in the East Mediterranean.

Shoukry criticizes UN at Manama summit: Following talks in Athens, Shoukry flew with his Greek counterpart to the Bahraini capital, Manama, yesterday for the IISS Regional Security Summit, according to a Foreign Ministry statement. The FM was the keynote speaker for a session titled “Changing Multilateralism and Regional Security,” during which he criticized the international political system of the UN and the Security Council, which he accused of failing to represent the interests of African countries.

The minister concluded the weekend by meeting with EU Special Representative for the Horn of Africa Annette Weber, during which they discussed the GERD issue and the current situation in Sudan, according to the ministry’s spokesperson.