Cairo-Egypt-January 30, 2023

US State Department spokesman Ned Price said

In a statement, Minister Antony Blinken discussed with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi "ongoing efforts to calm tensions between Israelis and Palestinians" during their meeting in Cairo, Monday.

Price's statement stressed" the importance of unified international support for the holding of elections in Libya "and stressed"the importance of the political framework agreement for the democratic aspirations of the Sudanese people".

The statement added that Blinken expressed "the solidarity of the United States with Egypt in confronting the economic impact of the Russian war in Ukraine".

The US Secretary of state also met with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry on Monday at the headquarters of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

At a joint press conference after their meeting, Blinken said the United States was working with Egypt to reduce tensions between Israelis and Palestinians after a "terrifying escalation in violence".

"Egypt has consistently played a crucial role in calming tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, including helping to broker a ceasefire, when violence escalated in 2021, and then again last year in 2022,"Blinken told reporters.

"Today, as we see a new and frightening escalation in violence, I discussed with President Sisi and with the Foreign Minister how we can work together to reduce tension and restore calm,"he explained.

"We have seen the horrific terrorist attacks in recent days, and we have witnessed over several months the escalation of violence that affects many," Blinken said, stressing the condemnation of the attacks by the United States and its commitment to the"two-state solution," and he explained: "We generally deplore the loss of innocent civilian lives.

For his part, Sameh Shoukry said: "the recent developments are very regrettable, but we are working to try to find a way to calm down, so we are studying the interest of all parties in achieving stability in the region".

Shoukry added that"the talks dealt with the issue of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and the importance of continuing joint work to preserve the interests of all three parties in a way that preserves these interests, in accordance with the rules of international law, and the legitimate rights to preserve water resources and Egyptian water security".

Blinken also said that he and his Egyptian counterpart discussed Russia's war in Ukraine, praising Egypt's vote at the United Nations to condemn the Russian invasion.

Blinken arrived in Cairo on Sunday. He is expected to travel to Israel later on Monday, where he will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his foreign minister Eli Cohen.

(CNN)