CAIRO, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) — The Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday stressed the importance of sticking to dialogue to reach a peaceful solution to the crisis in Niger.

“Egypt boosts all efforts exerted to defuse tensions in a way that promotes the democratic order and the sovereignty and stability of Niger and prevents escalations that could shake regional security,” the ministry said in a statement.

Earlier on Tuesday, The African Union (AU) Commission suspended Niger from the pan-African bloc until normal constitutional order is restored in the country following the latest military coup.

The coup took place on July 26, resulting in the ousting of democratically-elected President Mohamed Bazoum by a faction of military officers.