Ambassador Suha Gendy, Minister of State for Immigration and Egyptians Abroad Affairs, held bilateral talks with Cypriot Minister of Labor Giannis Panaitiou, with the participation of officials of the Cypriot Ministries of Labor and Foreign Affairs, at the residence of the Egyptian Ambassador in Nicosia. This comes within the framework of her visit to Cyprus to participate in the World Conference of Expatriates.
The meeting was attended by Amr Hamza, Egyptian Ambassador to Cyprus, Sarah Mamoun, Assistant Minister of Immigration for Projects and Conferences Affairs, members of the Egyptian embassy, and directors of departments at the Cypriot Ministry of Labor.
Bilateral discussions with the Cypriot Minister of Labor
For her part, the Minister of Immigration started the meeting by welcoming all forms of cooperation with the Cypriot Ministry of Labor with regard to the transfer of labor, and the provision of more seasonal and permanent job opportunities in various fields for Egyptian youth.
Benefit from the experience of communicating with Egyptians abroad
While the Minister of Labor welcomed the strengthening of cooperation in the labor transfer file, and many files of common interest on the part of the two governments, he also stressed that Cyprus seeks to benefit from the successful experience of the Ministry of Immigration with Germany in managing the Egyptian-German Center for Jobs, Migration and Reintegration, and looks forward to cooperation with Egypt in this field. Seasonal employment file, especially in the field of tourism and hospitality.
The Cypriot Minister of Labor also affirmed his desire to benefit from the experience of the Ministry of Immigration in communicating with expatriates and workers abroad, as Cyprus intends to achieve joint bilateral cooperation in these two files and exchange experiences with Egypt.
For her part, the Minister of Immigration added that she is working on a strategy to link migration with development efforts, care for and communicate with immigrants and Egyptians working abroad all over the world, and we welcome cooperation with Cyprus and an explanation of the mechanisms through which we work in this regard, as well as the participation of active training and work programs in this context.
The Minister of Immigration also praised the depth of the historical relations between the two brotherly peoples, Egypt and Cyprus, which are deeply rooted in history, pointing out that these bilateral relations come within the framework of the presidential directives and the aspiration to strengthen popular diplomacy between us.
Ambassador Soha Gendi, Minister of Immigration, discussed with the Cypriot Minister of Labor the current trends of immigration between Egypt and Cyprus and its impact on the movement of workers and immigrants, and the need to facilitate coordination between the two countries with regard to immigration and work, including the exchange of information and experiences and the sharing of best practices.
Challenges of Egyptian labor in Cyprus
She also called for protecting the rights of Egyptian workers in Cyprus, including ensuring the application of labor laws and providing safe and fair working conditions, as she presented to the Cypriot Minister of Labor a list of the challenges facing Egyptian workers there, and for his part, the Cypriot Minister of Labor promised to search for solutions to these challenges and to send inspection campaigns. For employers to discuss these complaints, Ambassador Suha Jundi requested the establishment of a direct communication mechanism between the two ministries to solve any problems they face, which His Excellency agreed to.
The meeting comes within the framework of strengthening the link between our peoples in support of joint cooperation, especially with regard to the file of tripartite cooperation between the heads of state of Egypt, Cyprus and Greece, and the presidents’ emphasis on the importance of continuing cooperation to deepen partnership relations in issues of common concern.