Egypt and Malaysia Call for Political Settlement to Middle East Conflict

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim discussed the need for a political settlement to end the conflict in the Middle East during al-Sisi’s two-day state visit to Malaysia.

The visit, which has concluded, was described as the first by an Egyptian leader to Malaysia in nearly three decades. The two leaders also condemned Israeli military actions in Gaza and reaffirmed their support for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Regional concerns

In remarks on the discussions, al-Sisi said the leaders addressed developments in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, as well as tensions around the Strait of Hormuz.

“I emphasised the importance of reaching a comprehensive political settlement as the only way to end all the region’s crises,” al-Sisi said.

The leaders reaffirmed that the proposed two-state solution should be based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital.

Malaysia’s prime minister said his country had taken a strong position regarding what he described as atrocities inflicted on the people of Palestine and Gaza, attributing them to Israel’s intransigence and violence.

Economic cooperation

Alongside the regional discussions, al-Sisi and Ibrahim considered ways to strengthen bilateral ties and expand economic cooperation between Egypt and Malaysia.

“Therefore, the collaboration with Egypt will give Malaysia an immense role and opportunity to expand our trade and general investments, tourism, in all fields,” Ibrahim said.

The two countries signed four memoranda of understanding covering women’s empowerment, higher education, tourism and investment.

Bilateral trade stood at $720 million in 2025, when Egypt was Malaysia’s seventh-largest trading partner in Africa. The Malaysian Foreign Ministry reported that trade increased by 74.7 per cent to $870 million during the January-August 2026 period.