CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi warned on Thursday that the Middle East was heading towards a serious escalation after a drone strike caused fire in two gas vessels at Egypt’s Damietta Port.
During a phone call with Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, El-Sisi stressed the need for “Egypt, Spain, Europe and the international community to unite in order to halt this escalation,” according to a statement posted by presidency spokesperson, ambassador Mohamed El‑Shennawy.
The Egyptian president said that authorities were continuing their investigations to ascertain the details of the attack, for which no party has yet claimed responsibility.
During the call, both leaders urged diplomacy and a “peaceful settlement of disputes” to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East.
Spain’s prime minister condemned the attack and called on the UN to intensify efforts to halt the regional conflict.
In a separate statement, Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said that Cairo had secured alternative sources to cover its energy demands after the attack.
Egypt’s Electricity Minister Mahmoud Esmat said that the country’s demand had been at a peak level of 37-39 GW over the past 15 days, adding that the government had enough stocks of different fuel alternatives, including more than 425,000 tonnes of fuel oil at power plants alone, as well as more in strategic storage.
With Reuters
