Egypt exempts Syrians from entry fees

Egypt has decided to exempt Syrians from paying visa entry fees starting Monday, the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Nabil Fahmy said. On July 9, Egyptian authorities imposed new conditions for entrance into the country that made visa and security clearances mandatory for Syrians. The decision came after a number of Syrians were alleged to be carrying weapons and appearing at rallies in support of Egypt's deposed Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi. Prior to the ousting of Morsi, Syrians were allowed unconditional entry. Syrians have been receiving humanitarian aid in Egypt since the uprising broke out in in their country in March 2011. There are currently 70,140 Syrian refugees registered with UNHCR in Egypt. The unofficial number of Syrian refugees however could be as high as 250,000. The official spokesman of the Foreign Ministry, Badr Abdel Atti, requested recently from ?Syrian citizens who reside in Egypt to "consider the current security situation in the country and to understand ?the necessary procedures which do not undermine or influence the historic relations between the Egyptian ?and Syrian people." Earlier this month, the foreign ministry said Cairo and Damascus ?have agreed to maintain relations on a consular level, despite initially cutting diplomatic ties, ?pointing out that this move is in the interest of both countries.