Egypt renews commitment to help refugees

CAIRO: Egypt has said it stands in solidarity with refugees forced to leave their homes in search of a dignified and safe life in other countries as the government marked World Refugee Day.
The Foreign Ministry said Egypt “continues to open its doors to provide a safe haven for those who were forced by circumstances to leave their countries and … guarantees them a life of dignity on its territory.”
The ministry called on the international community to meet the humanitarian needs of refugees, and to support host countries to take their fair share of the burden.
It lauded the vital role played by international organizations concerned with asylum and migration issues.
The ministry said it backed the UN High Commissioner for Refugees’ wish to see “hope away from home — a world where refugees are always included.”
Ahmed Abu Zeid, spokesperson for the ministry, said on Twitter: “Today, we participate in World Refugee Day. We shed light on those who left their countries under force majeure.
“We renew hope in their souls and urge the international community to assume its responsibility in alleviating their suffering and facilitating their integration into their new societies ... Egypt will always remain a safe haven for everyone who visits it.”
Egypt said it had about 9 million refugees and immigrants, from 133 countries. Four million are from Sudan and 1.5 million from Syria. There are also a million Yemenis and a million Libyans in Egypt, it said.
World Refugee Day was first observed on June 20, 2001, to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1951 convention relating to the status of refugees.
That day was known as African Refugee Day before the UN General Assembly renamed it International Refugee Day in 2000.