CAIRO, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held separate phone calls on Saturday with his Bahraini and Kuwaiti counterparts to address the ongoing regional military escalation, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Sunday in two statements.
Abdelatty stressed the critical need for an immediate halt to military escalation, warning of the "catastrophic consequences" of the region sliding into a full-scale war, and urging diplomacy and dialogue.
"The repeated attacks targeting Gulf states are unacceptable, lack any justification, and represent irresponsible escalation," Abdelatty said, calling for joint mechanisms to effectively protect Arab countries' national security.
He expressed Cairo's understanding of Gulf nations' precautionary steps, like closing airspace, to safeguard their territories and citizens.
For their parts, both Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani expressed appreciation for Egypt's supportive stances, continuous communication, and efforts to maintain regional security.
The phone calls came amid heightened regional tensions after joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran starting from Feb. 28, to which Iran and Iran-aligned groups responded with attacks on Israeli and U.S. interests across the Middle East. ■