Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi called for a “political settlement” of the crisis between Russia and Ukraine, on the sidelines of a call he made with Russian President Vladimir Putin, on Wednesday.
Al-Sisi and Putin’s call comes days after a statement by a number of ambassadors of Western countries calling on Cairo to take a supportive stance for Ukraine, coinciding with the differing position of Arab countries on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Egypt is one of the main tourist destinations for tourists from Russia and Ukraine. With the outbreak of the crisis, thousands of Ukrainian tourists found themselves stranded in Egypt.
Cairo announced facilitating the procedures for their stay in the country until the situation stabilizes and their transfer to a third country.
A statement by the Egyptian presidency said that Sisi “stressed the necessity of giving priority to the language of dialogue, with Egypt’s support for all diplomatic endeavors that would speed up the political settlement of the crisis in order to limit the deterioration of the situation and maintain international security and stability.”
El-Sisi said that Egypt is ready “to support this trend through its vigorous moves in this regard, whether bilaterally or at the multilateral level.”
The Egyptian president expressed his appreciation for “the measures taken by the Russian side to facilitate the exit of Egyptian citizens” stranded in Ukraine.
The Egyptian presidential spokesman said that the contact also dealt with ways to enhance various frameworks of cooperation between the two countries. In addition to emphasizing the strength of cooperation and friendship between the two countries, according to the presidential statement.