Egypt affirms support to 5M refugees amid Coronavirus pandemic

CAIRO - 21 June 2020: On the World Refugee Day, held on June 20 each year, Egypt reaffirms its commitment to support the five-million refugees and migrants it hosts amid the current crisis of the coronavirus (COVID-19), announced the Egyptian Foreign Ministry in a statement on Saturday.

“Egypt is also making unremitting efforts to enhance cooperation at the international, Arab and African levels to find sustainable solutions to the conditions of refugees in the world,” the statement read.

The celebration of the day affirms the solidarity with more than 70 million refugees and asylum seekers who have been forced to flee wars and violence in their countries to other countries.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the Egyptian government has provided health and medical services to refugees like Egyptians without discrimination within the framework of national efforts to fight the pandemic.

In his speech at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in October 2019, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said that Egypt has not built any camps for refugees, and has not allowed any boat to leave Egypt with refugees onboard toward Europe

The refugees in Egypt do not live on aid or wait for food from any international or local organization. They are allowed to work, get the necessary licenses to open restaurants, and many other buildings, he added.