Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Mr.Barham Salih, in the presence of Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and Egyptian Expatriates Dr. Badr Abdelatty, UNHCR Representative to the Arab Republic of Egypt and the League of Arab States Dr. Hanan Hamdan, UNHCR Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Ms. Rema Jamous Imseis, and Special Assistant to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ms. Rez Gardi.
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Spokesman for the Presidency Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy stated that the President welcomed the High Commissioner’s visit to Egypt and congratulated him on assuming his new post at the beginning of this year. President El-Sisi reaffirmed Egypt’s appreciation for its ongoing cooperation with the UNHCR to provide international protection for refugees and asylum seekers residing in Egypt, and to manage the asylum process in accordance with the national law regulating this matter, stressing Egypt’s readiness to continue this cooperation and thus enhance international solidarity and support refugees.
The President reviewed Egypt’s efforts to host more than 10.5 million foreigners, migrants, and refugees of various nationalities against the backdrop of numerous regional and international crises. President El-Sisi affirmed the State’s commitment to providing them with basic services within its capacity, while ensuring respect for Egyptian laws and Egypt’s international obligations. The President also emphasized that Egypt has never used the refugees issue to achieve political objectives. The President stressed the importance of activating the principle of burden and responsibility sharing, increasing international support to Egypt, and supporting the new national framework currently being finalized to address asylum issues.
President El-Sisi further called for adopting a comprehensive approach for addressing asylum seeking and displacement by tackling their root causes, including political and security crises and economic challenges, thereby contributing to sustainable development and promoting peace and stability in countries of origin.
Mr. Salih expressed his deep appreciation for visiting Egypt and meeting the President and emphasized the UNHCR’s interest in further strengthening cooperation with the Egyptian government in providing protection for refugees and supporting host communities. He commended Egypt’s significant efforts in hosting millions of foreigners, migrants, and refugees and expressed the UNHCR’s appreciation for the burdens borne by the Egyptian state to ensure the sustainability of services provided to them. Mr. Salih stressed the need to bolster international support to be commensurate with the scale of these efforts, noting that Egypt is bearing immense burdens and that there must be genuine support and active burden-sharing regarding the hosting of foreigners, migrants, and refugees. In the same context, the High Commissioner underscored the key role Egypt and the President play in achieving regional stability, noting that Egypt serves as a central and historically steadfast anchor in the region.
Mr. Salih welcomed the steps that the Egyptian state has taken to launch the new national asylum system, commending the establishment of the Standing Committee for Refugee Affairs. He affirmed the UNHCR’s readiness to provide all support for these efforts. Mr. Salih also briefed the President on his vision for the UNHCR’s work in the coming period, in light of the mounting global challenges related to asylum, noting the UNHCR’s strategy aimed at reducing the number of refugees worldwide and expressing his hope for continued cooperation with Egypt in this regard, in light of the pivotal role it plays in various regional and international issues.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
