Expats’ turnout proves Egyptians are reliable: Makram

CAIRO – 9 April 2018: Minister of Immigration and Expatriate Affairs Nabila Makram said that the high turnout of expats in the 2018 presidential election was a message to the world that Egyptians are moving toward a better future.

In her interview with Egypt Today, Makram said that expats’ significant turnout revealed the belief that Egypt is safe and that Egyptians are capable of taking responsibility for their country, adding that it was a success for the whole nation.

Around expats’ formation of unions, Makram said that the efforts of these unions in creating a good image of the country would be backed. However, the state needs to have full information about every entity wishing to represent the country, she added.

Makram had earlier praised the efforts exerted by the Egyptian communities' unions in the presidential election.


Egyptian community members in Paris lined up in queues in front of the embassy waiting enthusiastically to cast their votes – Egypt Today

Referring to the cooperation protocol signed last December to bring back to the country people of Greece and Cyprus who used to live in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, Makram said the government is preparing for the journey, which is expected to start in Alexandria.

Sponsored by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, people of the two communities are set to visit the places they had memories in, including their birthplace and their schools, Makram added.

Concerning the “Egypt Can” conferences that started in 2016 under the auspices of President Sisi, Makram said that they aim at linking Egyptian scientists residing outside Egypt with their homeland.

The activities of the "Egypt Can 3" conference kicked off in February in Luxor. The event reportedly witnessed the participation of 21 Egyptian expatriate scientists who managed to make achievements in the fields of agriculture, irrigation and water shortage problems.


Minister of Military Production Mohammed el Assar during "Egypt Can 3” - Mohammed Zahr

The “Egypt Can 2 (Taa Marbouta)” conference was held in Cairo last July, in cooperation with the National Council for Women (NCW), as an example of the efforts to empower Egyptian women.

A number of female Egyptian experts living abroad participated in the conference, which came in conjunction with Sisi’s announcement that 2017 was the “year of Egyptian women” and the national initiative to empower Egyptian women.

In December 2016, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail attended the first “Egypt Can” conference in the Red Sea city of Hurghada. In his speech, Ismail thanked the emigrant brainpower attending the conference, praising the Egyptian people’s awareness of the challenges facing the country.

Additional reporting by Amr Kandil