Meeting with Alexander Radwan, Member of the German Parliament

On January 23, 2024, the Member of the German Parliament (Bundestag) (Christian Social Union), Alexander Radwan (of Egyptian origin), held a visit to ECFA, at his request, accompanied by the German Ambassador, Frank Hartmann, and a diplomat from the German Embassy in Cairo, in order to get acquainted with the latest developments in the Middle East, the position of the Egyptian state, and developments of the Palestinian cause. The meeting was attended by ECFA Chairman Ambassador Mohamed El-Oraby, and ECFA Director Ambassador Dr. Ezzat Saad.

The meeting mainly tackled the following :

1- The member of the Bundestag was keen on getting acquainted with the ECFA’s vision regarding the ongoing developments related to the war in Gaza, noting that they realize that Germany’s policy in coonection with this war is not welcomed by public opinion in the Arab world. The guest added in this context that the recent visit of the German Foreign Minister to Egypt, in addition to her emphasis on the two-state solution and the necessity of humanitarian aid access to the people of the Strip, are all positive developments in the German position.

2- ECFA Chairman and Director outlined the challenges facing Egypt at the current stage, where reference was made to the developments of the civil war in Sudan, the situation in Libya, and the Egyptian role in connection with the massacres committed by Israeli forces against civilians in the Gaza Strip and also in the occupied West Bank.

3- The meeting explored the extent to which the United States can go in pressuring Israel into ceasefire or imposing a humanitarian truce, as well as the role of the European Union in the conflict. In this regard, it was agreed that given that the U.S. elections will be held this year 2024, it will be difficult to exert any U.S. pressure on Israel to halt the war or abandon its government’s positions. In this context, ECFA called for reviving the role of the European Quartet (Munich Quartet) and the importance of the European Union formulating a fair and just vision regarding the solution to this conflict, which will remain the core of security and stability in the Middle East region. The German guest replied by presenting the assistance provided from Berlin to the Palestinians.

4- The German side proposed to establish joint cooperation by Egypt, Jordan and Qatar with the international coalition led by Washington to protect international navigation in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks, but it was explained that this would be a kind of support for Israel. In clarification, Iran also has interests that make it take this supporting position for the Houthis.

5- The German guest was keen on getting acquainted with the developments in terms of Egypt-China and Egypt-Russia relations, whereby the vital and strategic nature of these relations were emphasized, but this will not be at the expense of relations with the United States and Western partners. In this context, it was emphasized that adopting a fair Western policy towards the Palestinian cause will restore the credibility of this policy, which has been severely eroded in recent years.