عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Egypt’s Shoukry, EU Commission’s Timmermans Hold Talks in Preparation for COP27 Summit

Sameh Shoukry during his meeting with the Vice-President of the European Union Commission (Egypt’s Foreign Ministry)
Sameh Shoukry during his meeting with the Vice-President of the European Union Commission (Egypt’s Foreign Ministry)
TT
20
TT

Egypt’s Shoukry, EU Commission’s Timmermans Hold Talks in Preparation for COP27 Summit

Sameh Shoukry during his meeting with the Vice-President of the European Union Commission (Egypt’s Foreign Ministry)
Sameh Shoukry during his meeting with the Vice-President of the European Union Commission (Egypt’s Foreign Ministry)

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry held talks with the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for the European Green Deal and Climate Change Negotiations, Frans Timmermans, in Cairo on Sunday.

According to a Foreign Ministry statement, Cairo is keen to consult with all parties concerned with international climate action.

The meeting came in light of Cairo’s preparations for the COP27 Climate Summit, which will be held in Sharm el-Sheikh Red Sea Resort in late 2022.

Timmermans is scheduled to meet during his two-day visit to Egypt with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mohammed Shaker, Minister of Environment Yasmin Fouad Abdelaziz, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek al-Mulla and Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala al-Saeed.

The EU climate policy chief will bring up the Mediterranean Green Hydrogen Partnership to enhance communication on topics of mutual interest, such as the transition to clean energy, energy efficiency, green growth models, energy diversification, sustainable finance, carbon markets and adaptation.

Madbouly, for his part, held a meeting on Sunday to follow up on the efforts to address problems facing tourist investors in Sharm el-Sheikh and ensure they complete the implementation of their projects in the hotel sector.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Khaled al-Anany, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Dr. Assem al-Gazzar, Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities, Major General Khaled Fouda, Governor of South Sinai, Seraj al-Din Saad, Assistant Minister of Housing for the General Authority for Tourism Development, and officials from various relevant authorities.

Most Viewed

 
Arab World

Israeli Forces Seize Gaza Aid Boat Carrying Greta Thunberg

A handout photo made available by The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) shows the crew of the Gaza-bound Madleen ship seated on the boat, wearing life jackets with their hands up, at sea in the Mediterranean, 09 June 2025. (EPA/Freedom Flotilla Coalition Handout)
A handout photo made available by The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) shows the crew of the Gaza-bound Madleen ship seated on the boat, wearing life jackets with their hands up, at sea in the Mediterranean, 09 June 2025. (EPA/Freedom Flotilla Coalition Handout)
TT
20
TT

Israeli Forces Seize Gaza Aid Boat Carrying Greta Thunberg

A handout photo made available by The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) shows the crew of the Gaza-bound Madleen ship seated on the boat, wearing life jackets with their hands up, at sea in the Mediterranean, 09 June 2025. (EPA/Freedom Flotilla Coalition Handout)
A handout photo made available by The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) shows the crew of the Gaza-bound Madleen ship seated on the boat, wearing life jackets with their hands up, at sea in the Mediterranean, 09 June 2025. (EPA/Freedom Flotilla Coalition Handout)

Israeli naval forces boarded and seized a charity vessel that had tried to break a naval blockade of the war-torn Gaza Strip on Monday and the boat with its crew of 12, including activist Greta Thunberg, is now heading to a port in Israel.  

The British-flagged yacht, Madleen, which is operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was aiming to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza later on Monday and raise international awareness of the humanitarian crisis there. 

However, the boat was boarded during the night before it could reach shore, the FFC said on its Telegram account. The Israeli Foreign Ministry later confirmed that it was under Israeli control. 

"The 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities' is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries," the ministry wrote on X. 

All passengers were safe and unharmed, the ministry later added. "They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over." 

Among the 12-strong crew are Swedish climate campaigner Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament. 

CREW ARRESTED 

"The crew of the Freedom Flotilla was arrested by the Israeli army in international waters around 2 a.m.," Hassan posted on X.  

A photograph showed the crew seated on the boat, all wearing life jackets, with their hands in the air.  

The yacht is carrying a small shipment of humanitarian aid, including rice and baby formula.  

The Foreign Ministry said it would be taken to Gaza. "The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the 'celebrities' will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels," it wrote. 

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the military on Sunday to prevent the Madleen from reaching Gaza, calling the mission a propaganda effort in support of Hamas. 

Katz said he had instructed that upon the boat's arrival at Ashdod port, the activists will be shown videos of atrocities committed during the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, which triggered the Gaza war. 

Hamas condemned the seizure of the boat as "state terrorism" and said it salutes its activists.  

Israel imposed a naval blockade on the coastal enclave after Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007 to stop weapons from reaching the armed group, which is designated as a terrorist organization by Israel and the West.  

The blockade has remained in place through multiple conflicts, including the current war, which began when Hamas-led fighters rampaged through southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, by Israeli tallies. 

Israel's retaliatory offensive against Hamas has since killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in Hamas-run Gaza and left its more than 2 million population largely displaced and at risk of famine, according to the United Nations. 

The United Nations' special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, has supported the FFC operation and on Sunday, urged other boats to challenge the Gaza blockade. 

"Madleen's journey may have ended, but the mission isn't over. Every Mediterranean port must send boats with aid & solidarity to Gaza," she wrote on X.