Egypt draws red line on European refugee camp proposals

Egypt has categorically rejected proposals reportedly floated in some European media to establish camps in southern Mediterranean countries, including Egypt, to receive refugees from European countries, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said.

Abdelatty made the remarks during a meeting with European Union ambassadors accredited to Egypt, according to Al Bayan news agency, citing the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

He stressed that such proposals were unacceptable to Egypt “under any circumstances,” highlighting the significant burden the country is already shouldering by hosting millions of refugees and asylum seekers amid regional crises, wars and conflicts.

The Egyptian foreign minister also reviewed the steady momentum in Egyptian-European relations since the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2024. He underscored the importance of the first Egyptian-European summit, held in Brussels in October 2025, and noted that Egypt would host the next summit in 2027. A third Egyptian-European Investment Conference is also expected to be held on the sidelines of the summit.

The meeting also addressed the Palestinian issue. Abdelatty welcomed a recent joint statement by the foreign ministers of France, Denmark, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden reaffirming support for the two-state solution and calling for a ban on imports of products from Israeli settlements.

Egypt reiterated its rejection of Israeli policies aimed at annexing Palestinian territory, expanding settlements and tolerating settler violence. Abdelatty also stressed the need to preserve the historical and legal status of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.

He called for the full and immediate implementation of US President Donald Trump’s comprehensive peace plan, saying it should guarantee security and stability, address the humanitarian situation, support reconstruction and recovery, and lay the foundations for lasting peace.

Regarding Sudan, Abdelatty outlined Egypt’s efforts to help end the conflict and stressed that any threat to Sudan’s sovereignty or territorial integrity constituted a red line. He said Egypt would not tolerate aggression against Sudan.

The minister also reiterated Egypt’s position that Nile water security is an existential issue and a matter of national security, stressing that the country’s water security cannot be compromised. Cairo rejects unilateral actions in the Eastern Nile Basin that it considers contrary to international law.

The discussions also covered Egypt’s efforts to reduce regional tensions and contain the repercussions of ongoing crises, as well as developments in Libya, Lebanon and Iran. The participants examined the impact of regional instability on energy and food security in Egypt and across the Global South.

The meeting formed part of Egypt’s periodic consultations with diplomatic missions accredited in the country, during which Cairo briefs foreign representatives on developments and its ongoing modernisation efforts across various sectors.

Abdelatty also highlighted Egypt’s role as a central actor in promoting regional peace and stability and advancing dialogue and diplomacy as means of addressing international and regional crises.

By Tamilla Hasanova