Skip to main content

Egypt's Nabil Fahmy takes the helm of the Arab League

1 min Mena Today

Arab foreign ministers agreed unanimously on Sunday to nominate Egyptian diplomat Nabil Fahmy as secretary-general of the Arab League, succeeding Ahmed Aboul Gheit, whose second term in charge ends in June 2026, Egyptian state media outlets reported.

Nabil Fahmy © ENS

Nabil Fahmy © ENS

Arab foreign ministers agreed unanimously on Sunday to nominate Egyptian diplomat Nabil Fahmy as secretary-general of the Arab League, succeeding Ahmed Aboul Gheit, whose second term in charge ends in June 2026, Egyptian state media outlets reported.

The decision came during a video conference.

Under the Arab League charter, the secretary-general is appointed by at least a two-thirds majority. While the charter does not stipulate a specific nationality for the post, it has traditionally been held by an Egyptian, except for Tunisian Chedli Klibi, who held the position from 1979 to 1990, reflecting Cairo’s role as host of the organization’s headquarters.

Fahmy, Egypt's foreign minister from June 2013 to July 2014, also previously served as Egypt’s ambassador to the U.S. from 1999 to 2008 and to Japan between 1997 and 1999.

He is the son of Ismail Fahmy, Egypt’s foreign minister under President Anwar Sadat from 1973 to 1977 when he resigned in opposition to Sadat's visit to Jerusalem.

The Arab League, founded in 1945, brings together 22 member states to coordinate political, economic, and cultural policies across the region.

Reporting by Mohamed Ezz

Related

Israel

Israel responds to soldier deaths with South Lebanon strikes

Israel said two of its soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon on Wednesday while Lebanese authorities said Israeli retaliatory attacks killed at least one person, a flare-up in violence that coincided with the latest round of talks between the two countries.

Lebanon

IDF targets South Lebanon after urging village to evacuate

The Israeli military said it had begun targeted strikes in southern Lebanon on Wednesday in response to a "Hezbollah violation", a day after the latest round of U.S.-facilitated talks between ‌Israel and Lebanon took place in Rome.

Strait of Hormuz

Draft Hormuz plan hands Iran key shipping role

A proposed deal between Iran and Oman would give Tehran control over ships entering the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian source and two regional officials told Reuters on Wednesday, in one of the biggest concessions yet to Iran.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Mena banner 4

To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.

  • Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.