China and Egypt agree on need to promote peace in Middle East

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing agreed with Egypt that both nations should promote peace and negotiations to achieve stability in the Middle East, amid several crises in the region including Syria, according to a media pool report.

Wang met his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty in Beijing on Friday.

He said both countries were deeply concerned about the situation in Syria, and called for respect for the nation's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.

Syrian rebels seized the capital Damascus unopposed on Sunday after President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia, ending decades of his family's autocratic rule.

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Abdelatty said he and Wang discussed the importance of a "comprehensive political process in Syria and managing a transitional phase that does not exclude anyone and reflects the sectarian, religious, ethnic and racial diversity within Syria".

Wang also said China and Egypt welcomed a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, and hoped it would be implemented effectively.

The Chinese top diplomat said it was necessary to build a "new sustainable Middle East security framework", and also discussed maintaining momentum in reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The two countries agreed to resume ties in 2023 in a deal brokered by China.

The report on the meeting did not give details of the proposed framework.