Cairo - MENA
Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry returned to Egypt Sunday coming from Germany after a four-day European tour also including Norway.
During the tour, the FM met with his Norwegian counterpart Boerge Brende in Oslo, where they signed a joint letter urging donors to fulfill obligations announced in the Gaza reconstruction conference.
They also called on the Palestinian government to restore its powers in Gaza and urged the Israeli government to facilitate the reconstruction efforts and achieve a rapid economic recovery in the strip.
Shoukry also held a meeting with deputy speaker of the Norwegian Parliament to discuss the coming parliamentary elections in Egypt.
The Egyptian FM also chaired a ministerial delegation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, that conferred with the Norwegian FM on supporting the Palestinian issue.
The delegation includes Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki, OIC Secretary General Iyad al Madani, the Guinean foreign minister and a representative of Azerbaijan foreign ministry.
In Germany, Shoukry participated in the Munich Security Conference, where he met with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier on the latest regional and international developments as well as the situation in the Middle East region.
The two sides also discussed means of confronting terrorism.
The Egyptian top diplomat reiterated that the Egyptian people will continue fighting terrorism despite all sacrifices, noting that Egypt will pursue its efforts in fighting extremist thoughts through the moderate Azhar foundation.
Talks also covered the Egyptian efforts to complete the establishment of state foundations, preparations for the parliamentary elections as well as the economic reform measures and preparations for Egypt's economic conference in March.
On the sidelines of the conference, the FM also met with US Secretary of State John Kerry on boosting bilateral relations in the various fields, ongoing preparations for Egypt's economic conference, fighting terrorism and regional and international issues of common concern.