Egypt Renews Firm Stance to Support Palestinian Cause

A handout picture released by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry on September 9, 2021 shows Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (C) meeting with his counterparts, Jordanian Minister Ayman Safadi (L) and Palestinian Minister Riyad al-Maliki (R), at the Tahrir Palace in Cairo, prior to the start of the work of the 156th session of the Arab League at the ministerial meeting. (Photo by - / Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs / AFP)
A handout picture released by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry on September 9, 2021 shows Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (C) meeting with his counterparts, Jordanian Minister Ayman Safadi (L) and Palestinian Minister Riyad al-Maliki (R), at the Tahrir Palace in Cairo, prior to the start of the work of the 156th session of the Arab League at the ministerial meeting. (Photo by - / Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs / AFP)
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Egypt Renews Firm Stance to Support Palestinian Cause

A handout picture released by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry on September 9, 2021 shows Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (C) meeting with his counterparts, Jordanian Minister Ayman Safadi (L) and Palestinian Minister Riyad al-Maliki (R), at the Tahrir Palace in Cairo, prior to the start of the work of the 156th session of the Arab League at the ministerial meeting. (Photo by - / Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs / AFP)
A handout picture released by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry on September 9, 2021 shows Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (C) meeting with his counterparts, Jordanian Minister Ayman Safadi (L) and Palestinian Minister Riyad al-Maliki (R), at the Tahrir Palace in Cairo, prior to the start of the work of the 156th session of the Arab League at the ministerial meeting. (Photo by - / Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs / AFP)

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry affirmed Thursday his country’s firm stance to support the Palestinian cause and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.

Shoukry also urged international and regional parties to fulfill their role in providing the proper climate for pushing forward the Israeli-Palestinian peace process during the coming period.

The Minister’s stance came during a tripartite meeting held in Cairo with Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki ahead of the 156th ordinary ministerial session of the Arab League Council that was later held on Thursday.

Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmed Hafez said in a statement that the meeting aimed to discuss the latest developments in the Palestinian cause and the efforts made to work on re-engagement in the peace track and launch a serious and constructive negotiating process for reaching a comprehensive and just settlement on the basis of the two-state solution that guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

He said both the Jordanian and Palestinian ministers praised Egypt's initiative to rebuild Gaza and provide development support to the Palestinian territories.

Thursday’s meeting also discussed the most prominent regional and international developments and stances towards a number of Arab issues, while the three ministers stressed the need to enhance joint Arab cooperation frameworks and agreed to continue their trilateral consultation in a way that achieves the interests of their countries and peoples.

Later, Shoukry said his country rejects all acts that would target the Arab, Islamic and Christian identity of the city of Jerusalem and its sanctities or change the historical and legal status quo, affirming that settlement activities in all of the occupied Palestinian territories should be stopped.



Iraq's Population Reaches 45.4 Million in First Census in over 30 Years

Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)
Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)
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Iraq's Population Reaches 45.4 Million in First Census in over 30 Years

Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)
Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)

Iraq's population has risen to 45.4 million, according to preliminary results from a national census, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said on Monday.
The census, conducted on Nov. 20, was Iraq's first nationwide survey in more than three decades, marking a crucial step for future planning and development.
Prior to the census, the planning ministry estimated the population at 43 million.
The last census, conducted in 1997, did not include the Iraqi Kurdistan region, which has been under Kurdish administration since the 1991 Gulf War.
It counted 19 million Iraqis and officials estimated there were another 3 million in the Kurdish north, according to official statistics.