Egypt’s Minister of State for Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates’ Affairs, Nabila Makram, announced, on Tuesday, that her ministry is following up on the situation of the stranded citizens who were heading to Kuwait.
Makram said that in the past two days, several tourism companies have committed to return 225 citizens travelling to Kuwait from the UAE, without imposing any fines or additional burdens. The move comes in accordance with previous agreements as a result of coordinating efforts with Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled El-Anani.
The minister thanked the citizens for their quick response to the Ministry of Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs’ calls to book return trips for those stranded in transit countries. This particularly relates to those whose residency visas expired whilst in transit countries.
Dozens of Egyptian nationals were stranded on their way to Kuwait following the general closures due to the second wave of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Makram said that there is a plan to deal with the stranded nationals once they return home. This will ensure that they are received in a process of coordination and cooperation between the Ministries of Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs, and Planning and Economic Development.
The returning Egyptian expatriates will be provided with job opportunities in national projects and private sector projects that make use of their skills and experience.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, Egypt has organised a series of flights to ensure the return of about 3,500 Egyptians stranded abroad. The returnees had registered their data with embassies and consulates to ensure their safe return home.
The Egyptian government’s repatriation efforts also saw some other Egyptian nationals who had previously not registered with embassies or consulates to come forward for help. The government is working to organise their repatriation.
