The Egyptian government has rejected the claim that it is restricting arrivals and refugees to the country by imposing additional fees or burdens.
Mohammed al-Homsany, spokesperson for the Egyptian cabinet, said that the prime minister’s meeting on Monday was to discuss the efforts to care for citizens of various nationalities in Egypt. He said that the government considers these citizens as guests, not refugees, and provides them with the same services as Egyptians.
He noted that the meeting followed up on the contributions of the Egyptian state in caring for its guests, who, according to some international estimates, number more than 9 million.
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly stressed the importance of verifying these numbers, and at the same time, limiting and categorizing what the state spends for the services provided to Egypt’s guests in various sectors. He also stressed the need to document the different efforts of the state to care for these millions.
“The purpose of the meeting was to conduct an inventory of the nationalities residing in Egypt and to start an inventory of contributions provided by the Egyptian state to them in all sectors,” Al-Homsany said. “The process of identifying residents and guests who are registered and have residencies, other numbers that need regularization, and some guests who were granted visa waivers in the past, and all services that are provided to state guests on an equal basis with Egyptians. He said that cards that can be used by guests in transactions are issued, and the purpose is not to impose new burdens on guests living in Egypt.
He said that a key part of the assessment process is to identify the contributions and costs that the state is paying. The goal is to make it easier for the state to rationalize resources and deal with international partners.
“We put the responsibility before the international community and there is a great deal of cooperation with international parties,” he added, noting that limiting the number of guests is aimed at facilitating cooperation with donors and international partners.
He said that international estimates indicate that 9 million “guests” are living in Egypt, noting that the state is in the process of issuing mechanized cards for all the guests, as part of the state’s plan to digitize all areas.
He pointed out that 70% of Egypt’s guests work in stable, continuous jobs, and there are about 9 million refugees from 133 countries, stressing that the various efforts of the state to care for these millions of guests must be documented.
