Japan-Egypt Relations
Attendance of Foreign Minister Kamikawa at the Cairo Summit for Peace
October 21, 2023
On October 21 (local time), with regard to the current situation surrounding Israel and Palestine, the “Cairo Summit for Peace” was held in Egypt, hosted by the government of Egypt. Ms. KAMIKAWA Yoko, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, attended the meeting. The overview is as follows.
The meeting was attended by heads, ministers and other representatives of countries including Arab States, European and North America countries, as well as international organizations such as the United Nations.
- At the meeting, Minister Kamikawa once again unequivocally condemned the terror attacks by Hamas and others, and stated that Japan has consistently taken the position that prioritizes;
- Immediate release of hostages and securing safety of civilians
- All the parties to act based on international law
- Calming down the situation as soon as possible.
Minister Kamikawa then pointed out that the most imminent challenge now is to minimize the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, and stated that it is necessary to (1) deliver necessary assistance to the people in the Gaza Strip as early as possible, and (2) realize evacuation of foreign citizens who still remain in the Gaza Strip. Minister Kamikawa also explained that Japan has already announced emergency humanitarian assistance worth 10 million dollars in total, and Japan will keep on considering assistance based on the needs on the ground in a timely manner.
Furthermore, Minister Kamikawa stressed that the window of opportunity for the Middle East Peace should not be shut due to the current situation, and stated that Japan’s position to support a “two-state solution” is unwavering. - At the meeting, active discussions were held among the participating countries and organizations on topics such as efforts to calm down the situation and to prevent the instability from spilling over, ways toward improving the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, necessity of seeking political solutions on the Palestinian issue based on a “two-state solution.”
- Moreover, Minister Kamikawa took this opportunity to exchange views with President El-Sisi of Egypt, President Abbas of Palestine, Foreign Secretary Cleverly of the UK, Foreign Minister Colonna of France, Foreign Minister Joly of Canada,Foreign Minister Eide of Norway, and Foreign Minister Vieira of Brazil respectively. She concurred with them on the importance of calming down the situation, and communicating closely toward improvement of the humanitarian situation on the ground.
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