Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri has reiterated Egypt’s full support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to continue its vital role in providing assistance to Gaza and the Palestinian people. Minister Shoukri also emphasised the crucial role played by the agency and stressed the importance of continuing to support its mission.
In a joint press conference he held with UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the New Administrative Capital on Monday, Minister Shoukri welcomed Mr Lazzarini’s visit to Cairo and praised the agency’s efforts in delivering aid despite ongoing military operations and the loss of basic necessities in Gaza.
Minister Shoukri expressed appreciation for the agency’s mission and its commitment to continue delivering its tasks and undertaking responsibilities, the Middle East News Agency (MENA) said in its report on the press conference.
The foreign minister called for continuation of funding the UNRWA, explaining that the international community will have to undertake the UNRWA’s responsibilities if the agency vanishes.
Regarding the decisions made by some countries to halt funding for UNRWA due to allegations, Minister Shoukri said that evidence must be presented, and the credibility of the organisation’s 40,000 employees and staff should not be distorted.
Elaborating, he said that UNRWA’s mandate is worthy of the international community’s respect given the agency’s role in the arrival of humanitarian aid and requirements in Gaza; hence the importance of maintaining this role especially at the current catastrophic stage.
The foreign minister also emphasised the need to establish a system that respects the rules and acknowledges the mandate of UNRWA by the international community.
He also renewed Egypt’s position of welcoming close co-operation with UNRWA and said Egypt is looking forward to the continuation of contacts with the agency’s commissioner-general.
In the course of talks with the visiting UNRWA chief, Minister Shoukri emphasised “full support to the agency’s indispensable work in providing aid to the people in Gaza,” according to Spokesman Abu Zeid in a notification he posted on the social media.
Minister Shoukri also stressed the “necessity of removing impediments by Israel to aid entry and ending the tactics of starvation and collective punishment in the Strip,” Spokesman Abu Zeid added.
For his part, the UNRWA commissioner-general thanked Egypt for its strong political support to the agency as well as for its role in resolving the crisis in Gaza.
Mr Lazzarini said he discussed with the Egyptian foreign minister the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the alarming rise in malnutrition among children, and the imminent threat of famine in the region.
The commissioner-general also highlighted the significant sacrifices made by the United Nations during the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which he described as extraordinary in light of the large number civilians and children who lost their lives.
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