Resolution of Palestinian question necessary for IMEC, connectivity projects to progress: Egyptian FM Badr Abdelatty

Plans for the India-Middle East-Europe-Economic Corridor (IMEC) cannot proceed without immoderate advancement connected the Palestinian question, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said connected Friday (October 17, 2025), adding that Egypt would beryllium funny to articulation each specified connectivity projects erstwhile the concern is “conducive”.

Mr. Abdelatty told a radical of journalists that helium had discussed the IMEC task with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar during the archetypal India-Egypt Strategic Dialogue connected Friday (October 17), and besides projected that India articulation the Egyptian Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE), wherever Russia, China, and a fewer different countries already person abstracted concern complexes.

He besides called connected Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who praised Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi for the Gaza Peace Plan signed with United States President Donald Trump this week. 

Derailed by Oct 2023 attacks

The IMEC was launched during the G-20 successful New Delhi successful September 2023 by a fig of countries including India, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, the U.S., and the European Union, and is meant to beryllium routed via Israel’s Haifa port. The task floundered wrong a month, however, aft the October 7 panic attacks successful Israel and the Israeli bombardment of Gaza.

While welcoming each connectivity projects “between the eastbound and west”, Mr. Abdelatty said that the aspirations of the Palestinian radical for their ain State was indispensable for bid and information successful the region, and it would not beryllium imaginable to tally a cross-regional connectivity task similar the IMEC without it. 

“If we are superior astir having last bid and security, a broad woody and the information for Israel and the full region, the lone solution is to respond positively to the morganatic aspirations of the Palestinian radical to person their ain statehood, to person their ain autarkic state,” Mr. Abdelatty said successful effect to a question from The Hindu.

“When October 7, 2023 [terror attacks by Hamas] happened, and past determination was escalation [due to Israel’s retaliation against Gaza], everything astir normalisation, astir connectivity, stopped for a azygous reason,” helium said, adding that the portion cannot beryllium normalised without “resolving the [source] of the struggle successful the region, which is the Palestinian question”. Nearly 70,000 people, including astir 1,150 Israelis, and astir 68,000 Palestinians, including 20,000 children, person been killed successful the struggle since October 2023.

Next steps for Gaza bid plan

Mr. Abdelatty briefed journalists connected the elements of the Gaza Peace Plan, signed astatine an lawsuit successful Sharm el Sheikh attended by much than 20 satellite leaders. The adjacent measurement would beryllium to instrumentality a draught solution truthful the UN Security Council tin statesman the process of gathering an “International Stabilization Force” to support the bid successful Gaza arsenic the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) leave, helium said. A 15-member Palestinian Administration Committee is being finalised to negociate Gaza for a transitional play until the Palestinian Authority is empowered to deploy there, helium added.

During the talks connected Friday, Mr. Jaishankar besides highlighted India’s humanities enactment to Palestine.

“India has been accordant successful its enactment for a two-state solution. We person important improvement practice with Palestine and are committed to enhancing capableness building, quality assets improvement and strengthening Palestinian institutions,” Mr. Jaishankar said successful his remarks, which were released by the Ministry of External Affairs. 

Indian concern zone

Turning to bilateral matters, Mr. Abdelatty said that India and Egypt person committed to doubling bilateral commercialized from the contiguous level of $5 billion, with peculiar imaginable successful the areas of chemicals, minerals, pharmaceuticals, phosphates, integer technology, artificial intelligence, and renewable energy. 

“We person a peculiar concern portion for China and for Russia successful the SCZONE and we are encouraging an Indian concern portion wherever we would supply each facilitation and incentives to Indian companies,” helium said, adding that India would beryllium capable to export goods beyond Egypt, with its colonisation of 120 million, to a marketplace of much than “two cardinal inhabitants” crossed Africa, South America, Europe, and Arab countries that are connected to Egyptian ports done escaped commercialized agreements.