Egypt, US Exchange Views on Region’s Crises

Shoukry participates at the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF) meeting. Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Shoukry participates at the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF) meeting. Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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Egypt, US Exchange Views on Region’s Crises

Shoukry participates at the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF) meeting. Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Shoukry participates at the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF) meeting. Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Egypt and the United States have stressed continuous coordination to achieve stability in the region.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed bilateral ties during a phone call.

Spokesman for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Ahmed Hafez, said the two ministers discussed reinforcing bilateral relations.

They also exchanged points of view regarding several regional issues to achieve stability and security in the region.

Shoukry and Blinken led the US-Egypt Strategic Dialogue in Washington in November.

In another context, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry held consultations with a number of states and parties to learn about their visions on different topics regarding climate change, as part of ongoing preparations for hosting the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27).

Egypt is scheduled to host the annual conference in November this year in Sharm El-Sheikh.

In a statement, the ministry said the consultations were held via videoconference with the United States, Russia, Japan, Zambia, and a number of countries that share the same visions, as well as a group of African negotiators.

During the talks, the outcomes of the COP26 that was held in Glasgow were assessed, and the ongoing preparations for the November conference were discussed, the ministry added.

Shoukry took part in a virtual Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF) meeting at the ministerial level.

The meeting was also attended by US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, COP President Alok Sharma, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany Annalena Baerbock, Russian Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Change Ruslan Edelgeriev, and Secretary-General of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Patricia Espinosa.



Syrian Interior Ministry Arrests ISIS Cell Responsible for Church Attack

People gather at Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus following the suicide bombing on Sunday, June 22, 2025 (EPA) 
People gather at Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus following the suicide bombing on Sunday, June 22, 2025 (EPA) 
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Syrian Interior Ministry Arrests ISIS Cell Responsible for Church Attack

People gather at Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus following the suicide bombing on Sunday, June 22, 2025 (EPA) 
People gather at Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus following the suicide bombing on Sunday, June 22, 2025 (EPA) 

Hours after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed that those involved in a “heinous” suicide attack on a Damascus church a day earlier would face justice, Syria’s Interior Ministry said authorities had arrested several suspects in connection with the attack.

The shooting and suicide bombing Sunday at the Mar Elias church in the Dweila district of the Syrian capital killed 25 people and injured 63 others, according to the Health Ministry.

“In coordination with the General Intelligence Service, the Ministry carried out security operations against ISIS-linked terrorist cells in the Damascus countryside, arresting a cell leader and five members, and killing two others affiliated with the terrorist attack on Mar Elias Church in Damascus,” the Syrian Interior Ministry said in a statement on Monday.

“During the raid, quantities of weapons and ammunition were seized, in addition to explosive vests and mines. A motorcycle bomb that had been prepared for detonation was also found,” it said.

On Monday, the Syrian President expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the church bombing.

He said “this heinous crime that targeted innocent people in their worship places reminds us of the importance of solidarity and unity –government and people- in confronting threats to our security and the stability of our country.”

Sharaa added, “Today, we all stand united, rejecting injustice and crime in all its forms. We pledge to the victims that we will work day and night, mobilizing all our specialized security services, to apprehend all those who participated in and planned this heinous crime and bring them to justice to face their just punishment.”

The attack is the first such bombing in Damascus since the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime. It raised fear among the people.

Commenting on the attack, a man in his 70s described the attack as “a huge and horrible strike,” stressing the need for “the authorities to tighten security measures on churches, all places of worship, and busy places.”

On Monday, Asharq Al-Awsat spotted heavy deployment of local security agents in the capital’s neighborhoods and major roads, amid heightened security measures.

Adbdulrahman Alhaj, a researcher in Islamic studies, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Interior Ministry statement that linked the attack to an ISIS suicide attack is a suggestion that the ministry’s spokesman Noureddine Al-Baba had mentioned in his Sunday press briefing.

Alhaj said he supports the ministry’s conclusions as ISIS had recently issued several threats signaling plans to confront the new regime in Damascus particularly, al-Sharaa.