SAMEH SHOUKRY

BERLIN — (AP) — Senior government officials at a climate meeting in Copenhagen gave a muted response Tuesday to calls from the head of the United Nations for countries to show greater ambition when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. He did not attend the Copenhagen meeting. Denmark's climate minister, Dan Jørgensen, said his country recently brought forward its net zero target to 2045, and aims to capture more carbon than it emits by 2050. That puts Denmark far ahead of most advanced economies, though its neighbor Germany is also targeting net zero by 2045 and Finland has said it wants to achieve that goal by 2035. The meeting in Copenhagen is one of several taking place before the U.N. climate talks in the United Arab Emirates at the end of the year.

Senior government officials at a climate meeting in Copenhagen have given a muted response to calls from the head of the United Nations for greater ambition when it comes to reducing countries’ greenhouse gas emissions

Turkey’s foreign minister is in Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials as the regional powers seek to mend their frayed ties after years of tensions

Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry promised to deliver more earthquake aid when he met with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus on Monday.

Egypt’s foreign minister has met with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus and promised to deliver more aid to the quake-hit country

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is urging Israel and the Palestinians to exercise restraint amid a spike in violence that has put the region on edge.

Italy’s chief diplomat has held talks Sunday with Egyptian officials in Cairo that focused on ties between the two countries, migration, and the political stalemate in the conflict-stricken Libya

New United Nations climate chief Simon Stiell in an interview with The Associated Press acknowledges the world didn’t do anything additional to address climate change at the COP27 climate summit this year.

Delegates at the United Nations climate summit in Egypt officially approved a deal on a fund for developing countries vulnerable to climate change made worse by polluting developed nations at a plenary session early Sunday.

Will the demands of developing nations that rich countries compensate them for climate impacts be part of a final deal? What about calls to lower interest rates and overhaul how world financing works so that developing nations can invest in green energies? The move was welcomed by many developing countries, but its prospects were unclear. That said, many long-time observers of the annual climate conference said negotiations shouldn’t have been in such a poor state at this juncture. Follow him on Twitter: twitter.com/peterprengaman___Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations.

The day before U.N. climate talks were to end, negotiators from around the world appeared to be far apart on any deal to combat climate change

The day before U.N. climate talks were to end, negotiators from around the world appeared to be far apart on any deal to combat climate change.

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt — (AP) — With only a day left in scheduled climate negotiations in Egypt, diplomats say they are far from getting something everyone can agree on, particularly in the confrontation between developed and developing nations over compensation for climate disasters. Among them was a call for developed countries to achieve “net-negative carbon emissions by 2030” — a far tougher target than any major nation has so far committed to and which would be very hard to achieve. The biggest is on a compensation fund for climate disasters, known as “loss and damage” in negotiators’ parlance. We’re not walking away without this fund,” Marshall Islands climate envoy Kathy Jetn̄il-Kijiner told a press panel. We need the fund now and it needs to be a fund.”The climate change minister for Pakistan echoed the call.

The family of imprisoned Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah says that they have seen him and that his condition has “deteriorated severely.”.

SHARM EL-SHEIKH — (AP) — A handshake in lush Bali is being felt at climate talks thousands of miles away in the Egyptian desert, where lack of progress had a top United Nations official worried. After more than a week of so far fruitless climate talks, negotiators were grasping for something themselves: Hope. “Now rich countries need to play their part," said Rachel Cleetus, policy director and lead economist at the Union of Concerned Scientists. India made an unexpected proposal over the weekend for this year’s climate talks to end with a call for a phase down of all fossil fuels. India was blamed at last year's climate talks for resisting a call to “phase out” coal.

The family of Egypt’s imprisoned hunger-striking activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah says he has started drinking water again.

A handshake Monday between U.S. President Joe Biden and China’s President Xi Jinping has lifted spirits thousands of miles away at the U.N. climate talks in Egypt.

President Joe Biden says “it's more urgent than ever” to increase commitments to fighting global warming.

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt — (AP) — The focus of the UN conference on climate change should be the negotiations to reduce emissions and not an Egyptian activist who is on a hunger and water strike, Egypt's foreign minister said Thursday. Egypt is already feeling the harsh effects of climate change itself, with rising sea levels threatening fertile lands in the Nile delta. Hosting the annual climate talks has helped Egypt recently clinch several deals to promote the roll-out of renewable energy, something Shoukry said the government is committed to pursuing further. Like many other developing countries, Egypt is also hampered by large debts that make it harder to borrow money for much-needed investments. U.S. President Joe Biden was scheduled to swing by the climate talks Friday on his way to the G-20.

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt — (AP) — Drinks are on the house at this year's U.N. climate talks and the price of food will be slashed, Egypt's foreign minister said Thursday following complaints from delegates that they were struggling to get food and water during the event. Asked about the case of Alaa Abdel-Fattah, now in a prison hospital after going on hunger strike over his imprisonment, Shoukry made clear it was not a priority for him as chair of the 27th annual climate talks, known by their acronym COP27. Shoukry suggested such concerns could distract from some countries' failure to live up to their climate commitments. The Nov. 6-18 talks have moved from high-levels appeals for more climate action, heard from world leaders early in the week, to the nitty-gritty stage of negotiations. ___Follow AP's climate and environment coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment___Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations.

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry indicated no shift in position with regard to a jailed activist who is on a hunger and water strike.

Egypt’s foreign minister has urged world leaders and negotiators to deliver on previously made pledges to battle climate change ahead of this month’s U.N. summit

BEIRUT — (AP) — An international human rights group called Monday on the United Nations to ensure that countries hosting its climate conference commit to meeting human rights standards after it documented instances of repression against environmental groups in Egypt, the host of COP27 later this year. Egypt’s government has engaged in a widespread crackdown on dissent in recent years that has detained thousands, many without trial, according to rights groups. “The UN Framework Convention member states and the Secretariat should press the Egyptian government to make sure environmental groups feel it is safe to engage in and beyond the COP." An Egyptian government media officer did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Monday report from Human Rights Watch. The UN office responsible for overseeing the climate conference, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, also did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the right's group's call.

A leading human rights group has called on the United Nations to ensure that countries hosting the international climate conference are meeting human rights standards after documenting instances of repression against environment activism in Egypt, this year’s host

MOMBASA, Kenya — (AP) — Africa's nations must develop strategies to address climate change which poses an existential threat to the continent’s megacities, Gabon's President Ali Bongo Adimba said at the third Africa Climate Week conference. The third African climate meeting is bringing together more than 1,000 government officials and stakeholders in Gabon's capital Libreville. He said the “backtracking on commitments by many developed countries is a matter of concern" for many African countries. "The delayed delivery of climate finance continues to affect Africa’s efforts to contribute to the global effort against climate change,” he said. The African climate week conference will discuss other critical concerns of the continent including food security, carbon markets, climate migrants, and coastal resilience.

Gabon’s President Ali Bongo Adimba said at the third Africa Climate Week conference that Africa’s nations must develop strategies to address climate change which poses an existential threat to the continent’s megacities

Gabon’s President Ali Bongo Ondimba said at the third Africa Climate Week conference that Africa’s nations must develop strategies to address climate change which poses an existential threat to the continent’s megacities.

Lavrov argued that Russia was ready to negotiate a deal to end hostilities in March when Kyiv changed tack and declared its intention to rout Russia on the battlefield. “The West insists that Ukraine must not start negotiations until Russia is defeated on the battlefield,” Lavrov said. It was not yet clear when grain shipments would resume following Russia and Ukraine's signing of agreements with the United Nations and Turkey on Friday. The deals are aimed at clearing the way for the shipment of millions of tons of desperately needed Ukrainian grain, as well as the export of Russian grain and fertilizer. In the eastern Donetsk region, the focus of the Russian offensive, Russian artillery struck the cities of Avdiivka, Kramatorsk and Kostiantynivka.

Russia Egypt In this handout photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gestures during a joint news conference with Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry, following their talks in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, July 24, 2022. The remark from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov comes amid Ukraine's efforts to resume grain exports from its Black Sea ports, something that would help ease global food shortages, under a new deal tested by a Russian strike on Odesa over the weekend. The deals are aimed at clearing the way for the shipment of millions of tons of desperately needed Ukrainian grain, as well as the export of Russian grain and fertilizer. In the eastern Donetsk region, the focus of the Russian offensive, Russian artillery struck Avdiivka, Kramatorsk and Kostiantynivka. In the city of Chuhuiv, a Russian strike ruined the building of a local club and rescue workers removed several people from under the debris.

Russia’s top diplomat says Moscow’s overarching goal in Ukraine is to free its people from its “unacceptable regime,” expressing the Kremlin’s war aims in some of the bluntest terms yet.

BERLIN — (AP) — Egypt's foreign minister called on rich and developing countries to show readiness to compromise at the U.N. climate talks he is set to chair in November, saying Tuesday that the negotiations shouldn't be a “zero-sum game” between wealthier and poorer nations. Developing countries are still waiting for rich nations to provide $100 billion in climate aid each year, a target meant to be reached by 2020. They also want to make progress on the issue of restitution for "loss and damage" caused by climate change. Developing countries have viewed the actions with suspicion. “Climate change negotiations need not be a zero-sum game between developed and developing countries,” Shoukry said.

Several dozen organizations have called on Egypt to end its crackdown on civil society and allow for freedom of expression ahead of the country hosting the next U.N. summit on climate change

Switzerland Davos Forum Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry poses for media after an interview with the Associated Press at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Monday, May 23, 2022. The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum is taking place in Davos from May 22 until May 26, 2022. Panelists said during a World Economic Forum panel Monday in Davos that the uncertainty is rattling financial markets and complicating investment decisions for businesses. Vitali Klitschko pointed to the audience during a World Economic Forum panel Monday with his brother, Wladimir, and said, “We are defending you personally." Gelsinger said at a press roundtable on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum that “to us, this is now the No.

Their arguments could get a boost by the symbolic significance of this conference being held in Egypt, a developing nation in North Africa. Shoukry said during meetings in Denmark earlier this month around climate pledges he invited protesters who were outside to speak with him. Ahead of hosting the conference, Egypt has been racing to launch many agreements around renewable energies. In March, Egypt and Norway signed an agreement for several projects around green hydrogen and building green infrastructure projects in African countries. Follow him here: http://twitter.com/peterprengaman____Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, also the incoming president of the next Conference of the Parties to be held in Egypt, says the focus will be on making sure countries implement their climate pledges

Their arguments could get a boost by the symbolic significance of this conference being held in Egypt, a developing nation in North Africa. He called the meeting “productive” and that Egypt’s climate goals lined up with those of many protesters. Ahead of hosting the conference, Egypt has been racing to launch many agreements around renewable energies. In March, Egypt and Norway signed an agreement for several projects around green hydrogen and building green infrastructure projects in African countries. Follow him here: http://twitter.com/peterprengaman____Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, also the incoming president of the next Conference of the Parties to be held in Egypt, says the focus will be on making sure countries implement their climate pledges.

Two high-level speakers at the World Economic Forum gathering say Afghanistan’s most urgent need is saving its economy from complete collapse.

US Egypt Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a meeting with Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry at the State Department in Washington, Wednesday, April 13, 2022. The State Department on Thursday announced the approval of the $997 million sale of 24 Bell AH-1Z Viper helicopters and related equipment to Nigeria. The related equipment includes guidance, night vision and targeting systems as well as engines and training support, the department said in a notice to Congress. The sale went ahead after a November visit to Abuja by Secretary of State Antony Blinken during which he raised concerns about Nigeria's rights record. Nigeria’s security forces have long been accused of human rights violations in their operations, with personnel involved often escaping justice.

The Biden administration has given the green light for Nigeria to buy advanced attack helicopters worth nearly $1 billion despite concerns about the country's human rights record.

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool) (Jacquelyn Martin)SDE BOKER, Israel — (AP) — Israel on Monday hosted the foreign ministers of four Arab nations and the United States in a bid to strengthen its position in a rapidly shifting Middle East. Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said the group was “making history” as he announced the gathering would become an annual event. Although Iran has since raced ahead with its nuclear program, Israel and Gulf Arab countries are deeply concerned about restoring the original deal. Underscoring regional anxieties, Israel’s government hastily arranged the meeting of top diplomats from Arab countries that have normalized relations with Israel. Lapid took the Arab ministers to visit Ben-Gurion's grave, a remarkable step given the sensitivities with the Palestinians over Israel's establishment.

Israel has hosted the foreign ministers of four Arab nations and the United States in a bid to strengthen its position in a rapidly shifting Middle East.

Egypt US U.S. climate envoy John Kerry, second from left, chairs his delegations during a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry at the foreign ministry headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Feb. 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) (Amr Nabil)CAIRO — (AP) — The United States and Egypt on Monday launched a joint working group to prepare for the U.N. climate change summit being held in Egypt in November, a U.S. envoy said. John Kerry, President Biden’s special envoy for climate, said the group is focused on the U.N.’s COP27 conference in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. He said Egypt, which is chairing the summit, has already begun its preparations and set ambitious goals. In the news briefing, Kerry said they aim to implement all promises made in last year’s U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland.

Egypt US U.S. climate envoy John Kerry, second from left, chairs his delegations during a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry at the foreign ministry headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Feb. 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) (Amr Nabil)CAIRO — (AP) — The United States and Egypt on Monday launched a joint working group to prepare for the next climate change summit in November, the American envoy for climate issues said. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry said the group is focused on the United Nations' COP27 conference in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. This is not anything to do with some of the issues” of concern for the U.S. administration, Kerry said at a news briefing in Cairo with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry. Kerry said that the U.S. was also working with Egypt on its own transition to a clean energy future.

The United States and Egypt have launched a joint working group to prepare for the next United Nations climate change summit in Egypt in November.

Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides said that he conveyed to Shoukry his government’s “deep concern regarding Turkey’s increasingly revisionist and destabilizing foreign policy” in the region. Only Turkey recognizes a Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence in the island’s north where it keeps more than 35,000 troops. Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar said a prerequisite to reviving stalled peace talks is the recognition of the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state as a legitimate legal entity on par with the internationally recognized Cyprus Republic. Greek Cypriots fear a two-state deal would entrench Turkish control potentially over the entire island as well as hydrocarbon deposits off its shores. Peace talks have been at a standstill since the last bid to reach at an reunification agreement collapsed in the summer of 2017.

Egypt’s foreign minister has rebuffed a Turkish push for a two-state peace deal on ethnically divided Cyprus.

Egypt has long feared the project will severely impact the flow of Nile waters key to agriculture. On human rights, Blinken said the administration welcomed the launch of an Egyptian national human rights strategy but said the effort would be judged by its results. “Making tangible and lasting improvements on human rights is essential to strengthening our bilateral relationship and the United States will continue to support those efforts however we can,” he said. The U.S. has complained about Egypt’s human rights record for years and the Biden administration has withheld $130 million in military aid to the country pending improvements. ""We also believe that human rights are an interdependent whole, which necessitates that we dedicate equal attention to political rights and civil liberties and economic and social rights," he said.

The United States and Egypt are putting a brave face on strains in their relationship as domestic Egyptian developments and regional crises test long-standing ties between the countries.

Egypt US White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, seated second right, meets with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and their delegations at the foreign ministry, in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) (Nariman El-Mofty)CAIRO — (AP) — President Joe Biden’s national security adviser held talks Wednesday with Egypt’s president that focused on regional tensions and the ties between Washington and its Mideast ally, the Egyptian leader’s office said. The meeting in Cairo with Jake Sullivan came as the Biden administration presses Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi's government to stop his crackdown on dissent. The U.S. announced earlier this month it would withhold $130 million in military aid to Egypt over human rights concerns. The Biden administration sees the dam dispute as potential flashpoint in the turbulent Horn of Africa but has sought to take a back seat to the African Union in finding a resolution.

President Joe Biden’s national security adviser has held talks with Egypt’s president that focused on regional tensions and the ties between Washington and its Mideast ally.

Egypt Israel Palestinians Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, right, meets with Palestinian Fatah official Azzam Al-Ahmad at the foreign ministry in Cairo, Thursday, May 20, 2021. It’s the latest instance in which Egypt has served as a mediator between Israel and Gaza’s ruling militant Hamas group. Egypt borders both Israel and the Gaza Strip, and has been a key player since Israel withdrew troops from Gaza in 2005 and Hamas seized the territory in 2007. A diplomatic win could also gain Egypt some regional prestige in its rivalries, including with Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Shaath is the son of Nabil Shaath, an adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Egypt has rushed to try to broker a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas while also trying to prove itself to the Biden administration and the world as the main mediator in a conflict that threatens to worsen

Egypt has proved itself to the world again as an indispensable mediator after it brokered a cease-fire in the short but costly Israel-Hamas war.

WASHINGTON – The Biden administration on Tuesday told Egypt that human rights will be “central” to its policy in dealing with the key Arab state and major American partner in the Middle East. It was not immediately clear how the new emphasis on human rights would manifest itself. The Trump administration had largely given Egypt's leadership a pass on human rights. Ad“The secretary raised concerns over human rights, which he emphasized would be central to the U.S.-Egypt bilateral relationship, and Egypt’s potential procurement of Su-35 fighter aircraft from Russia,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. However, rights groups accused authorities of targeting families of activists and rights defenders living abroad, in an apparent attempt to intimidate critics.

Greece and Egypt are at odds with Turkey in a volatile maritime boundary dispute in the eastern Mediterranean over rights to search for and exploit natural gas deposits. The dispute between Greece and Turkey triggered a major military buildup over the summer that raised concerns of military confrontation. In August, Greece and Egypt signed a maritime deal demarcating the two countries’ maritime boundaries and setting out respective exclusive economic zones for the exploitation of resources such as oil and gas drilling. The agreement, which remains partial, angered Turkey, which has accused Greece of trying to grab an unfair share of resources in the eastern Mediterranean. Greece, Cyprus and Egypt widely criticized the deal between Ankara and Tripoli, saying it infringed on their economic rights.