Egypt s Deputy Foreign Minister for African Affairs Hamdi Sanad Loza says that Egypt treats all refugees equally regardless of nationality, adding that the Egyptian government is also keen on providing international protection for them from an ethical point of view.
Loza made the comments at a meeting with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi, who is currently on a three-day visit to Egypt.
In a press release on Monday, the Foreign Ministry said that Grandi praised the efforts exerted by the Egyptian government to protect refugees.
Grandi also expressed the UNHCR s appreciation for the services offered by Egypt to refugees, which place a great burden on the host country s economy in terms of the strain on resources and opportunities across different sectors.
The two sides also discussed the root causes of the global problem of refugees and asylum seekers, including unemployment, poverty, rampant corruption and armed conflicts.
Grandi was elected head of UNHCR by the UN General Assembly in 2016, and has visited Egypt in that capacity once before, also in 2016.
As of 31 November 2018, Egypt hosts more than 242,000 registered refugees and asylum-seekers of 58 different nationalities, mainly concentrated in Greater Cairo, Alexandria and the North Coast, UNHCR said in a press release to mark the high commissioner s visit.
