Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli said on Monday that he is looking forward to enhancing co-operation between Egypt and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in the coming stage.
The file of migration is a top priority to Egypt, a host country for some nine million immigrants and refugees, the premier said during a meeting with the newly elected IOM director general Amy Pope on the fringe of an international conference on migration and development that he is attending in Italy on behalf of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi.
Madbouli congratulated Pope on her new post and praised her previous contributions as deputy director general of the IOM.
He stressed the importance of upgrading mechanisms by which to handle the migration file. Madbouli pressed for developing new approaches to radically solve the problem of illegal migration and alleviate the burden on host countries.
For her part, Pope thanked Egypt for hosting big numbers of immigrants and refugees despite the ensuing economic challenges.
The geographical neighbourhood with Sudan has made Egypt the go-to country for Sudanese refugees fleeing the conflict back home, Pope said.
She added that she is looking forward to co-operating with Egypt once she officially assumes her duties in October.
