CAIRO, March 10 (MENA) - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates ambassador Abou baker Hefny opened Monday a training program to support maritime security in the Red Sea region.

The program is organized by the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding (CCCPA) with the support of the Japanese government, under the rubric "Combating Transboundary Threats: Towards Enhancing Maritime Security in the Red Sea Region" for a number of civilian and security cadres concerned with the countries bordering the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, including Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, Sudan, Somalia, Jordan and Egypt.

In a keynote speech before the opening ceremony, the deputy foreign minister referred to repercussions of the Israeli aggression on Gaza on the stability of the Red Sea region and the unprecedented escalation of tension in the area.

Hefny said preserving the security of the Red Sea and freedom of navigation is a collective responsibility that requires intensive international and regional cooperation.

Egypt always accentuates the necessity of integrating Arab and African countries bordering the Red and the Gulf of Aden in all regional initiatives, he said.

The deputy foreign minister stressed the importance of activating the Council of Arab and African States Bordering the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden; being a necessary regional framework to enhance cooperation and coordination between member states.

Hefny said the security of the Red Sea is closely related to the crises witnessed by the region, underlining the importance of reaching a just solution to the Yemeni crisis and working to consolidate ceasefire in Gaza, in addition to settling the Sudanese crisis.

For his part, Director General of the CCCPA ambassador Seif Kandil pointed out that the program focuses on several dimensions, including supporting frameworks for enhancing regional and international cooperation through coordinating efforts between coastal states, in addition to addressing legal frameworks to ensure a safe marine environment, along with means to confront challenges of cybercrimes, stressing the Center’s keenness - since 2017 - on addressing issues related to Red Sea security and ways to enhance cooperation between the countries of the region.

Successive editions of Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development have addressed importance of focusing on activating the comprehensive approach to peace, security and development, said the CCCPA director general.

The Japanese chargé d' affaires also delivered a speech voicing his country's pride in the partnership with the CCCPA since 2008, pointing out to the importance of the security of the Red Sea and freedom of navigation.

He also said the Red Sea region is part of the Japanese vision related to the formation of the "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" (FOIP), praising the role of the Center as an important partner in the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) process.

The TICAD and the Aswan Forum see eye to eye on many topics, for the CCCPA is the Executive Secretariat of the Aswan Forum, said the Japanese chargé d' affaires. (MENA)

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