Foreign Ministry slams Baradei’s claim of prejudice in renewing visa

CAIRO- 30 April 2017: Egypt’s foreign ministry emphatically refutes former Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei’s suggestion that the state refuses to renew his passport, saying that the passport is on its way to Vienna in a diplomatic portfolio.

“Three weeks ago, I applied to the foreign ministry to renew my passport which takes only a few days. I hope there wouldn’t be confusion between citizenship rights and upholding state policies,” Baradei tweeted on Sunday.

Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Abu Zeid retorted tweeting: “The passport was issued few days ago, and it’s on the way to Egypt’s embassy in Vienna in a diplomatic portfolio,” whereas Baradei said that he wasn’t informed of this measure.

Mohamed El Baradei, Ex-IAEA chief and Nobel laureate, took the office as vice president in 2013, following the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi, under the administration of interim president Adly Mansour. He fled to Vienna following his resignation after the dispersal of Rabaa and Nahda sit-ins in August 2013.