Egypt's FM Foreign Minister Meets with IOM Director General

Badr Abdel Aaty, Minister of Foreign Affairs discussed with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) the provision of the necessary support to help Egypt bear the burdens of hosting large numbers of migrants and refugees, reviewing the efforts made by all national authorities to accommodate the arrivals, meet their needs, and the resulting burdens on the Egyptian state.

This came during the meeting held by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Friday, with Amy Pope, Director-General of the International Organization for Migration, on the sidelines of the high-level segment of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Tamim Khalaf, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that Minister Abdel Aaty also expressed Egypt's aspiration to continue cooperation with the International Organization for Migration to facilitate the voluntary and sustainable return of foreign migrants present in the country.

He pointed out that Egypt has adopted a comprehensive approach to dealing with the issue of migration, in a manner that takes into account the developmental and security dimensions associated with it and addresses the root causes leading to illegal migration.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs also stressed the importance of intensifying international efforts to ensure the fair and sustainable activation of the principle of sharing burdens and responsibilities.

Abdel Aaty also reviewed the efforts of the Egyptian authorities to combat illegal migration and smuggling of migrants across borders.