CAIRO, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Syria held separate phone consultations Wednesday to warn against expanding ongoing regional tensions in the wake of the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry announced.
Expressing deep concern over the serious military escalation, the ministers agreed that expanding the conflicts in the region constitutes a direct threat to international security and peace, the ministry said in a statement.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty reiterated Cairo's full support for the Arab states during his calls with his counterparts, firmly rejecting any attacks targeting their territories.
Abdelatty emphasized that Arab national security is inseparable and rejected any pretexts to justify such attacks or to undermine the sovereignty of these states.
The ministers agreed to continue close consultation and coordination in the coming period, intensify deliberations on future regional arrangements, and emphasize the necessity of a unified Arab voice to protect Arab interests and resources while safeguarding regional security and stability.
The diplomatic outreach follows large-scale U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran starting Saturday morning, and subsequent Iranian counterstrikes targeting Israeli and U.S. assets in the region. ■
