Samar Yahya

Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — The visiting Egyptian delegation recently held a meeting with Egyptian expatriates in the Kingdom to get a first-hand report on their problems.



The delegation is led by Amr Moawad, assistant foreign minister for consular affairs Amr Moawad. It includes representatives from ministries of manpower, foreign affairs, justice, civil affairs, passports, education, higher education, investment, housing and Orthodox church in Egypt.



Community members pressed for the resolution of some general issues and also had a chance to raise and discuss personal and individual issues with the visiting team in another session.



One of the key demands of the Egyptian community was to activate a pension program for all Egyptians working abroad.



Another demand was on the issuance of Egyptian passports in foreign countries.



The current system enables Egyptians to get the passports issued in the homeland and it involves a tedious and cumbersome procedure.



Said Yahya, president of the board of directors of the Egyptian community in Saudi Arabia, said: “For a long time, we have been demanding redressal of several issues. Egyptians abroad, who are nearly 10 million, sometimes need legal support which is costly in several countries, forcing them to return to their homeland without getting their financial settlements.”



Also discussed was a unified work contract for all Egyptians working abroad.



A fourth demand was related to the coming parliament elections. Community members sought more polling stations in various regions in the Kingdom. Consul General Adel El-Alfy, however, said the issue has already been discussed with the concerned Saudi authorities. "It will not be possible to do it so soon,” he said.



Moawad provided instant answers to some of the demands and explained why some of them could not be achieved at this point of time.



The delegation has had a similar interaction with the Egyptian community in Riyadh.