International Cooperation Minister Sahar Nasr met with Swiss Economy Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann on Sunday to discuss funding Egypt’s project to eliminate landmines laid throughout the country, Youm7 reported.
The meeting comes on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank groups currently held in Washington D.C.
Nasr asserted that Switzerland was really interested in supporting Egypt in the land mines clearance project as well as sustainable development plans that would pave the way for providing job opportunities for youth.
Millions of landmines were planted by the Allied Forces during World War II in some parts of the western desert and others were planted in the eastern desert during wars between Egypt and Israel.
Out of a total of about 110 million landmines planted around the world, Egypt has 23 million; representing 20 percent of the total number of landmines, according to the Egyptian State Information Service (SIS.)
Over the past 25 years, about 7,923 people were killed by landmines, including 3,200 dead and 4,723 injured, according to local and international statistics.
