Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met his Algerian counterpart Ramtane Lamamra in Cairo on Saturday to discuss the political turmoil in Tunisia and the increasing tensions between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia over the Nile Dam.
At a joint press conference, Shoukry told reporters that Egypt is closely following the ongoing tensions in Tunisia. “We are following with great interest what is happening in Tunisia and what the authorities are doing there to achieve the country’s security, stability, and sovereignty,” he said. Calling the crisis an “internal affair” of Tunisia, Shoukry added that Egypt fully trusts “the wisdom of the political leadership in Tunisia and its ability to manage the situation to achieve the aspirations of its people.” Likewise, Lamamra noted that the situation in Tunisia is a domestic matter and said that Algeria respects Tunisia’s sovereignty and stands in solidarity with the Tunisian people. He expressed confidence that “Tunisians will overcome this period [and] procedures will be taken to place the country on the right track.”
Lamamra also met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to discuss a range of bilateral issues, including the Tunisian crisis. The Egyptian Presidency stated that “a consensus was reached on the need to support all that would maintain stability in Tunisia and implement the will of the Tunisian people to preserve wealth and security of their country.” Reuters reported that the leaders agreed to support Tunisian President Kais Saied amid the political crisis.
On July 25, Saied dismissed Tunisian Prime Minister (PM) Hichem Mechichi and suspended the Parliament following disagreements with the PM over his handling of the COVID-19 crisis. Opposition members, including the Islamist Ennahda party, and critics called Saied’s move a “coup,” and rights bodies warned that it could negatively affect human rights in Tunisia.
The Egyptian government’s support for Saied is reflective of its stance against Islamism in the region. El-Sisi came to power in 2013 after ousting the democratically elected Mohamed Morsi, affiliated with the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood. Since then, Sisi has led a crackdown against the Brotherhood to root out Islamism from the region. Cairo also sees the Tunisian Ennahda party as a driver of Islamic fundamentalism and a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Apart from Tunisia, the two FMs discussed the tensions regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which has pitted Egypt and Sudan against Ethiopia over fears that the dam would reduce the supply of Nile water to Sudan and Egypt. Lamamra noted that the “dam crisis is at a critical stage” and urged the three countries to reach a satisfactory agreement “to serve and protect the rights of their peoples.”
Egypt, Algeria FMs Meet in Cairo, Discuss Tunisia, GERD
The FMs of Egypt and Algeria met in Cairo to discuss the ongoing crisis in Tunisia and the GERD dispute between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan.
August 2, 2021
Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry (R) met with his Algerian counterpart Ramtane Lamamra in Cairo. SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS