Amman was the first stop of this third tour. In the Jordanian capital, Minister Albares was received in audience by King Abdullah II and met with his counterpart Ayman Hsafadi. The two ministers discussed the excellent state of the bilateral relations and cooperation and discussed "the troubling situation in the region", agreeing to join forces for an immediate ceasefire, the arrival of humanitarian aid and the two-State solution.
José Manuel Albares then met with representatives of Spanish NGOs in Jordan, to whom he conveyed our country's recognition of their work, and visited one of the camps of the United Nation's relief agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), where he learned firsthand about the work undertaken by this organisation. This visit comes just a week after having announced to the commissioner of this agency, Philippe Lazzarini, a further donation of 20 million euros to continue with its work in helping the Palestinian population.
Egypt was the second stop on the tour. In Cairo, Minister Albares held a meeting with the heads of United Nations' agencies working in the country and met with the Secretary General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit. This organisation is based in Cairo and has supported the Spanish Government's proposal to hold an international peace conference. Minister Albares told the representatives of the Arab League countries that "it is time to put our joint initiative on the international agenda".
During his stay in the Egyptian capital, Minister Albares was received by President Abdelfatah al Sisi, who praised Spain's "well-balanced stance towards the regional situation, in particular as regards supporting the fair rights of Palestinians and the building of sustainable peace and security in the region". Finally, José Manuel Albares met with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shukry. In a press conference that followed the meeting, Albares and Shukri expressed the interest of both countries in achieving a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and promoting the arrival of humanitarian aid to the enclave.