Egypt has called on Arab League member states to strengthen their collective security mechanisms and military and diplomatic coordination in response to regional crises, while stopping short of proposing the immediate creation of a binding security structure.
Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty made the appeal during the 166th ministerial session of the Arab League. He invoked the 1950 Joint Defence and Economic Cooperation Treaty and called for a shared strategic vision as well as stricter follow-up on the implementation of adopted resolutions.
The framework established by the treaty has remained largely inactive due to diplomatic differences and the external alliances of member states. Egypt’s remarks implicitly acknowledged that the existence of a legal framework alone is insufficient to produce a coordinated regional response.
Abdelatty stressed the importance of safeguarding navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. Cairo advocates a leading role for Red Sea littoral states in ensuring the security of the waterway, a vital route for trade passing through the Suez Canal.
The minister also reaffirmed the vital importance of the Nile for Egypt and Sudan and rejected policies that, in Cairo’s view, could undermine the rights of downstream countries. On Palestine, he reiterated Egypt’s opposition to any displacement of populations.
No decision was announced regarding a joint force, a common budget, a command structure or a timetable for consultations. The appeal sets out a political direction, but its implementation will depend on consensus among states whose threat perceptions often remain divergent.
MK/AK/Sf/lb/as/APA