Egypt demands more support to services provided to Syrian refugees on its soil

CAIRO – 12 May 2022: Egypt's Ambassador to the European Union Badr Abdel Aty demanded, while participating Tuesday in the Sixth Brussels Conference on "Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region," increasing the support given to Egypt to continue providing essential services to Syrian refugees on its soil.  

In his speech, the ambassador presented the efforts deployed by Egypt to host Syrian refugees, and the government's keenness on providing education and healthcare services similar to those offered to Egyptians.

In a related context, Abdel Aty "reiterated the fundamentals of Egypt's stance on the Syrian crisis, and the necessity of alleviating the suffering of the Syrian people," as indicated by the press statement released Thursday.

Although Egypt hosts six million refugees, including 500,000 Syrians, no single boat carrying illegal migrants has sailed from its shores since 2016. Further, Egyptian policies ban establishing refugee camps, so refugees live normally among Egyptians.

President of the Council of the European Union Charles Michel said in March that Egypt is an essential strategic partner of Europe, and that such deep relations are manifested in the recent momentum in joint cooperation.

Michel's statements came during a meeting with Ambassador Badr Abdel Aty, who was submitting his letter of credence to become Egypt's envoy to the European Union (EU). Abdel Aty is also ambassador to Belgium, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and permanent representative at NATO.

The Egyptian diplomat displayed the comprehensive modernization process Egypt is undertaking, and its achievements on the political, economic, and social scales. He also presented the efforts deployed by the country to promote the values of citizenship.

On the legislative level, Ambassador Abdel Aty showcased that the House of Representatives had passed a new bill regulating the work of NGOs, and that the government had issued the National Strategy for Human Rights.

That is in addition to executing a number of initiatives and programmes that are aimed at improving the living conditions of citizens and securing them a decent life, which was commended by President Michel.

In that context, the meeting tackled the cooperation between Egypt and the EU in various developmental fields, and in manufacturing vaccines. That is in light of Egypt's bid to become a center for vaccine production and export to the African continent, given the country's scientific, technical, infrastructure, and storage capabilities. 

Similarly, the EU council president and the Egyptian ambassador discussed partnerships in the fields of renewable energy, liquefied gas, and clean energy. The latter presented the steps made by Egypt to produce green hydrogen as well as the solar photovoltaic power plants and wind farms accomplished by Egypt.

On his side, President Michel described Egypt as a vital strategic partner of Europe in the energy sector. He also expressed his keenness on continuous communication with President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi because of his wisdom in dealing with different issues and crises on the regional and international levels.