AUSTRIA, July 2 - On 2 July 2022, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg travelled to Egypt together with Minister of the Interior Gerhard Karner. In addition to meeting with his counterpart, Sameh Shoukry, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg also met with Egyptian human-rights experts in Cairo, as well as representatives of international organisations in Egypt. The main discussion topic for these meetings was the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine and its global impact. In addition, the issues of illegal migration and human trafficking as well as the country’s human-rights situation were addressed.

Above all, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg used his Cairo visit to counter the Russian narrative – widely disseminated in Northern Africa – that the EU sanctions against Moscow are the cause of the food shortage. In his meetings, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg therefore pointed out that Russia is blocking Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea, intentionally destroying grain silos, and preventing normal cultivation and harvesting of the fields through the ongoing fighting.

Russia’s war against Ukraine is taking place in Europe, but it is not a European war. The war’s shock waves affect everyone, even Egypt. That is due to cynicism on the Russian side,

emphasised Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg.

As the main importer of Ukrainian wheat, Egypt is suffering greatly from the loss of grain deliveries from Ukraine. A major topic of discussion between Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry was thus the country’s food security – to be guaranteed, among other things, through “green corridors” that can be used to export grain despite the war. In addition, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg spoke with representatives of the World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) about the economic and societal effects of rising food prices in the region.

Other topics during his visit to Cairo included migration, the return of illegal migrants and intensifying their collaboration to fight smuggling and human trafficking. As an important transit country where, according to Egyptian estimates, there are currently about 6 million refugees and migrants, Egypt is an important partner on migration issues. In addition, the country itself has high migration potential, further heightened by the economic effects of the Russian war of aggression.

We must ensure that the Russian narrative does not prevail among our partners in Northern Africa and in the Near East. To do that, we must cushion the indirect effects of the war in order to strengthen our partners and prevent migration to Europe,

said Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg.

In addition to the Russian war of aggression, they discussed the human-rights situation in Egypt, including its recently approved first national human-rights strategy. During a meeting with human-rights experts from the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR), Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg emphasised that “respect for human rights worldwide is an integral part of Austria’s foreign policy”.

On 3 July 2022, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg and Minister of the Interior Gerhard Karner continued on their joint duty travel to Turkey. As a mediator between Ukraine and Russia, Turkey plays a key role in the potential export of grain from Ukraine, and is also one of the EU’s most important partners on migration issues.