Egypt, Norway Discuss Energy

The first round of political consultations between Egypt and Norway. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
The first round of political consultations between Egypt and Norway. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
TT

Egypt, Norway Discuss Energy

The first round of political consultations between Egypt and Norway. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
The first round of political consultations between Egypt and Norway. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)

The first round of political consultations between Egypt and Norway on Friday discussed reinforcing cooperation and bilateral ties.

The session was held at the level of assistant foreign ministers at the Egyptian Foreign Ministry’s headquarters.

Egypt’s delegation was chaired by Ambassador Ehab Nasr, Assistant Foreign Minister for European affairs, while the Norwegian delegation was headed by the director general of the regional affairs department at Norway’s Foreign Ministry’s May-Elin Stener.

The consultations reviewed means to boost political coordination and cement bilateral ties ahead of Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry’s visit to Oslo, according to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

Both sides lauded efforts to promote Norwegian investments in Egypt, particularly in clean energy.

They also discussed regional and international issues of mutual interest, including human rights and the results of the United Nations climate change conference (COP27), held in Sharm Sheikh in November.

Discussions also covered the peace process and the situation in the Arab and African regions.

The ministry added that the Egyptian efforts to achieve stability in the region and address the situation in Libya, Syria, Sudan, and the Horn of Africa were also part of the discussions.

The Norwegian side presented its vision of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis and expressed its awareness of its negative impact on the world and Egypt.



Egypt’s Parliament Speaker Rejects Proposals for Taking in Palestinians from Gaza

 Two boys watch a crowd of Palestinians returning to northern Gaza, amid destroyed buildings, following Israel's decision to allow thousands of them to return for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP)
Two boys watch a crowd of Palestinians returning to northern Gaza, amid destroyed buildings, following Israel's decision to allow thousands of them to return for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP)
TT

Egypt’s Parliament Speaker Rejects Proposals for Taking in Palestinians from Gaza

 Two boys watch a crowd of Palestinians returning to northern Gaza, amid destroyed buildings, following Israel's decision to allow thousands of them to return for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP)
Two boys watch a crowd of Palestinians returning to northern Gaza, amid destroyed buildings, following Israel's decision to allow thousands of them to return for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP)

Egypt’s parliament speaker on Monday strongly rejected proposals to move Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, saying this could spread conflict to other parts of the Middle East.

The comments by Hanfy el-Gebaly, speaker of the Egyptian House of Representatives, came a day after US President Donald Trump urged Egypt and Jordan to take in Palestinians from war-ravaged Gaza.

El-Gebaly, who didn’t address Trump’s comments directly, told a parliament session Monday that such proposals "are not only a threat to the Palestinians but also they also represent a severe threat to regional security and stability.”

“The Egyptian House of Representatives completely rejects any arrangements or attempts to change the geographical and political reality for the Palestinian cause,” he said.

On Sunday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry issued a statement rejecting any “temporary or long-term” transfer of Palestinians out of their territories.

The ministry warned that such a move “threatens stability, risks expanding the conflict in the region and undermines prospects of peace and coexistence among its people.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right governing partners have long advocated what they describe as the voluntary emigration of large numbers of Palestinians and the reestablishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza.

Human rights groups have already accused Israel of ethnic cleansing, which United Nations experts have defined as a policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove the civilian population of another group from certain areas “by violent and terror-inspiring means.”