MFA will travel to Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and Egypt

The Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs João Gomes Cravinho and the Slovenian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Tanja Fajon, will start on Friday a two-day trip in the Middle East, where they will visit Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and Egypt.

The aim of this visit is to continue dialogue and consultations with players in the region, contributing to the ongoing political dialogue, which is indispensable to respond to the situation and reach a diplomatic path to build long-lasting, sustainable peace, based on the two States solution.

João Gomes Cravinho and Tanja Fajon will meet their Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen in the Southern part of the region and will be received in Tel Aviv by the Israeli president Isaac Herzog.

Still on Friday, the two Ministers will go to Ramallah to have a meeting with their Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki and will be received by the Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh.

On Saturday, the focus will be on the dialogue on the current situation and perspectives of peace in the region with two relevant regional partners – Jordan and Egypt. The day will begin in Oman where the two Ministers will meet the Jordan Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi.

In the afternoon, in Egypt, Ministers Cravinho and Fajon are scheduled to have a meeting with their counterpart Sameh Shoukry, as well as a courtesy call on the President of the Republic, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. In Cairo, the Ministers are scheduled to meet with the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit. The meeting is to address the current situation and have a regional perspective, including the role of the Arab League and this organisation’s cooperation with the European Union with a view to achieving peace and stability in the Middle East.