Egypt’s ambassador to Rome, Bassam Rady, has delivered a speech to the Italian Senate explaining Egypt’s successful efforts since 2016 to prevent illegal migration.
Rady stressed that those who infiltrate Italy do not come from the Egyptian coasts, but come from other neighbouring countries.
The Egyptian ambassador also stressed that solving the problem of irregular migration to Europe will not only be through closing the borders or through security measures, but also requires addressing the roots of the problem.
This is why Europe should seriously study the establishment of huge infrastructure projects in Africa, especially in connection with linking African countries, such as international roads, railways and shipping lines, which would support the activation of intra-African trade and provide job opportunities to help reduce the pressure of illegal immigration.
Ambassador Rady noted that Europe has great investment opportunities in Egypt and Africa by employing its largest companies in infrastructure projects that establish promising development, ensure increased employment opportunities, and allow European industrial institutions to get very large returns from the implementation of these projects, within the framework of a partnership between Europe and Africa.
Rady noted that Egypt hosts about 9 million people of different nationalities, whom we call “guests” in Egypt, who do not live in refugee camps but enjoy all basic rights such as work, trade, transportation and ownership of property alongside their Egyptian brothers. These are the directives of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, primarily on humanitarian and moral grounds, explaining that this number has increased recently due to the conflicts in Sudan.
