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Thank you very much, Your Excellency Brother Badr Abdelatty.

First, I would like to extend my thanks to you for your generous hospitality and warm reception, and to thank Their Excellencies the ministers for what they have provided and contributed to our meetings today—the meeting of the bilateral committee.

Of course, as Your Excellency mentioned, Qatar-Egypt relations are fraternal relations with a long history, depth, and strong foundations. We are always seeking to fulfill the aspirations of our two leaderships and our two brotherly peoples. God willing, with every meeting of the Qatari-Egyptian bilateral committee, we see progress and move into another phase of developing these relations.

We were honored this morning to meet with His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. I believe Brother Badr referred to the key issues discussed during the meeting, but the meeting was held in a fraternal atmosphere, and there were in-depth discussions regarding the security and stability of the region, particularly the situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in occupied Palestine, developments in the Iranian-American war, and the status of navigation and security in the Gulf.

We also discussed during our meeting with His Excellency the importance of working bilaterally and collectively with our brothers in the region to enhance security and stability and consolidate peace in the region, particularly in light of the sensitive circumstances we are currently experiencing. His Excellency the President also affirmed his support for working together to identify alternatives and solutions for supply chains, as His Excellency mentioned, whether through shipping lines or in various other areas.

I was also honored to meet with His Excellency Brother Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister of the sisterly Arab Republic of Egypt. We discussed the most important joint projects between the State of Qatar and the sisterly Arab Republic of Egypt, and we were very pleased to witness the launch of the Alam Al-Roum project. God willing, this will also be an addition to the projects being undertaken by Qatari Diar and Qatari investments in the sisterly Arab Republic of Egypt.

We witnessed the signing of four agreements in the areas of customs cooperation and regulatory work, in addition to cooperation in the fields of education and health, as well as the establishment of His Highness the Amir Hospital in Sohag Governorate. We look forward to this also constituting a qualitative leap for the healthcare sector for our brothers in the governorate. We also look forward to exploring future opportunities, God willing, in various fields, whether in the industrial sector, particularly in the pharmaceutical industries.

Of course. Given the circumstances the region is going through, I discussed several regional issues with my brother Badr today, foremost among them the situation in the Gaza Strip and, primarily, in the occupied Palestinian territories. Of course, we are now at a pivotal stage following the Palestinian factions’ announcement that they had accepted the peace plan and were prepared to move forward with the arrangements related to the collection of weapons. The ball is now in the Israeli side’s court.

To be honest, there have been significant efforts, and the partnership and joint work we undertook with our brothers in Egypt and Türkiye to reach this stage were intensive efforts that demanded a great deal from us in order to achieve this breakthrough. We had thought that there would at least be a positive response from the Israeli side to implement commitments that, even from the first phase, it has yet to fulfill. However, as we have come to expect, instead of responding positively to these developments, it has continued its violations to this day, targeting civilians and escalating settlement activities, in addition to continuing its unlimited attacks, which take place without deterrence, whether in Lebanon or in Syria.

Today, there is a key factor which is the Israeli actions that is, unfortunately, contributing to destabilizing the region. The region continues to extend its hand in peace and to seek stability in the region, but unfortunately, day after day, we see these extended hands being rejected.

We also discussed other issues in the region, foremost among them the crisis in Sudan. We also reaffirmed our support for political solutions in Libya, and clearly affirmed our support for the unity and territorial integrity of Sudan, Libya, and all Arab territories.

As you know, the region is experiencing difficult circumstances, particularly since the beginning of the U.S.-Iran war, which, unfortunately, has had very harmful repercussions for the entire region, not only for the Gulf region. I discussed with my brother Badr the efforts that the State of Qatar is undertaking and continuously pursuing through its mediation, in partnership with Pakistan, amid the stalemate we are witnessing and the current situation, which has unfortunately obstructed many matters for us.

We affirmed the necessity and importance of ensuring the freedom, security, and safety of navigation, whether in the Strait of Hormuz or the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. We call for a return to the situation that existed before the war. International maritime traffic must not be held hostage or used as a tool for political blackmail by any party, and we condemn anyone who obstructs such movement.

The State of Qatar will continue its efforts with our brothers, whether in the Gulf states, the Arab Republic of Egypt, or elsewhere in the region, to support diplomatic solutions. We hope to reach solutions between the two sides soon, return to the memorandum of understanding, and restore diplomacy instead of, unfortunately, resorting to a language of escalation and political blackmail.

We reaffirmed the importance of continued coordination and consultation between our two countries and between our respective foreign ministries. God willing, we look forward to hosting you in Doha next year for the eighth session of the High Committee. I thank you for your hospitality and for everything you have done for us today.

Journalist’s Question:

Thank you for the opportunity.

My question to His Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar: In light of Israel’s official and declared rejection of moving forward with the implementation of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, are there other avenues that can be pursued jointly, rather than relying on the U.S. role? And how does His Excellency also view the recent Israeli escalations, whether through increased violations in the West Bank, the continued occupation of areas in southern Lebanon, or the recent attacks on Syrian territory?

Thank you very much.

Regarding Israel’s obligations to implement what is required of it, whether the remaining commitments under the first phase or the second phase of the peace plan, we are relying primarily on the United States to exert pressure on Israel to fulfill its obligations. However, as mediating countries and as fellow Arab countries, we also care about what is happening in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. We will therefore also undertake international diplomatic efforts to create international pressure on Israel to fulfill its obligations.

I believe that today we are witnessing this behavior as an ongoing and, unfortunately, systematic pattern. From the Israeli side, whenever the other party seeks to fulfill its obligations, Israel does the opposite and acts in contradiction to them. We say that the continuation of such actions will yield nothing but negative consequences for the Strip, for Israel, and for the region as a whole. Therefore, we must avoid such actions. We hope that the U.S. side will fulfill its role. Just as there was an Egyptian-Qatari-Turkish role in securing the Palestinian factions’ agreement to this plan, there is also a role for the United States, European countries, and the international community to pressure Israel to fulfill its obligations.

In addition, regarding the escalation and the opening of fronts, whether in Lebanon and the violations occurring there on a daily basis or in Syria, the Arab side met recently in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, where we reaffirmed the importance of collective action to put an end to these Israeli violations, particularly those at Al-Aqsa Mosque and the violations in the West Bank.

God willing, diplomatic efforts and contacts will continue in this direction. We must also look at the situation today in general: What is the overall security situation in the region? The region is highly volatile. If this issue is not addressed jointly by the European countries, the United States, and the countries of the region, this escalation will have repercussions for all the countries of the region. We hope that everyone will shoulder their responsibilities, act responsibly, and put an end to these violations, which bring nothing to the region except instability.

Journalist’s Question:

My question is for His Excellency the Qatari Prime Minister: In light of the tensions currently affecting maritime navigation, how is Qatar responding to Iran’s conduct in the Strait of Hormuz?

As I mentioned at the outset, Qatar’s efforts at the moment are focused on mediation between Iran and the United States. There are also efforts between Iran and the Sultanate of Oman to reach an agreement and find an interim solution to the current situation. However, we must also not forget that freedom of navigation must be guaranteed without requiring any efforts by any state, and that these maritime passages must not be held hostage to any form of political blackmail.

The State of Qatar is working in consultation with our brothers in the Gulf Cooperation Council and in the region to find other diplomatic avenues with the Iranian side to restore maritime navigation to its normal course. We hope that this will, at the very least, be a positive step toward fully defusing the crisis. We look forward to the Iranian side shouldering its responsibilities and responding to the region, as well as taking into consideration the damage it has caused to us as countries in the region as a result of this closure.

Thank you.