Egypt fires official in Manpower Ministry over "derogatory comments" about Kuwaiti emir

CAIRO - 25 October 2020: Assistant to the minister of manpower has been relieved of his duties because of "derogatory comments" about  the emir of Kuwait after the Egyptian ambassador in the Gulf country was summoned by the Kuwaiti government.

 

The Egyptian and Kuwaiti newspapers did not reveal the "derogatory comments" made by Yasser Elsherbiny but many assumed it was linked to the recent brutal attack by a Kuwaiti man on an Egyptian doctor in Kuwait, where he beat her up in an examination room without cameras and continued to attack her after other staff came to her rescue. 

 

However, a screenshot from Elsherbeny's Facebook account that dates back to Sept. 30 included a joke about the new Emir of Kuwait Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah.

 

ElSherbeny said in a Friday post that his account had been hacked several times, and that he did not realize the post was on his account until Oct. 23, when he deleted it. He apologized for the post, but also said he did not write it and that his account is not secured and has no following or friends outside his close friends and family. He highlighted the strong ties between the Egyptian and Kuwaiti people and respect for the Kuwaiti royal family. 

 

Egyptian ambassador to Kuwait Tarek al-Kouny met with Kuwaiti Foreign Affairs Minister Khaled Aljarallah, where he expressed his "deep regret, complete rejection and denunciation of the slander committed by an official in the Manpower Ministry," according to Al-Anbaa Kuwaiti newspaper. 

 

Al-Anbaa newspaper quoted Kouny as saying that the the comments of the official, Yasser Elsherbeny, represent an individual act and not the ties between the two friendly countries and the deep respect Egypt holds for Kuwait.

 

The Manpower Ministryalso released a statement saying the official's comments do not represent the Egyptian government, emphasizing the strong relationship between the two states.