Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met on Wednesday with Operation Commander of EUNAVFOR MED Rear Admiral Enrico Credendino.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ambassador Badr Abdel Aati said Shoukry greeted the EU commander on his new post and wished him success in his new mission to combat the phenomenon of illegal immigration.

The EU official offered condolences to the Egyptian government and people on the recent terror attacks, voicing solidarity with Egypt in confronting terrorism in all its forms, said the spokesman.

He said the EU counts on Egypt for its regional importance and its ability to confront threats endangering the region, the spokesman added.

Shoukry thanked the EU commander on his offer to cooperate with Egypt as regards cooperation with regional countries.

He also explained to the EU official the importance of cooperating with the legitimate Libyan authorities over resolutions to be issued by the UN Security Council to ban the smuggling of arms to terror groups in Libya, working on expanding the legal immigration and focusing on the development of the southern Mediterranean and African countries to combat illegal immigration.

The Egyptian top diplomat posted the EU official on the security and political situation in Libya and voiced hope over putting into effect a proposal floated by the EU on reaching a political settlement in Libya.

Operation EUNAVFOR Med was established on 18 May 2015 by the European Council. It is a military operation contributing to the disruption of the business model of human smuggling and trafficking networks in the Southern Central Mediterranean.

Considering the objective of EUNAVFOR Med, the cooperation with the law enforcement community, Europol in particular, is essential.