A number of parliamentarians pre-empted an upcoming government conference to present achievements by asking a question about poverty rates in Egypt, which have not been announced for several years, while expectations are for their increase in light of economic crises exacerbated by turbulent regional conditions.
Nine members of the House of Representatives asked the government, on Wednesday, about the levels at which poverty rates have reached - which were estimated in the last official census in September 2020 for the year 2019-2020 at 29.7 percent - saying: “Despite the government’s pledge before Parliament, repeatedly, to send a study of income and spending through the oversight tools provided by the representatives, the research has not yet been published.”
The representatives asked: “How can achievements be judged without knowing the poverty rates in Egypt since 2021?”
The government intends to launch a national forum to present the paths taken in the past period, their consequences, and what would have happened if they had not been taken. The forum includes listening to citizens’ suggestions and opinions, according to government spokesman Mohamed Adel.
Adel indicated in television statements on Wednesday evening that citizens can access the official website of the forum, scheduled to be held from October 19 to 24, and register, submit their contributions, and request attendance. He said that the site has witnessed more than one million visits since its launch a few days ago.
Frequently asked question
The controversy over poverty rates in Egypt and the implications of not disclosing them is not a new matter, as such questions arise from time to time, which is what the representatives indicated in their question.
The head of the parliamentary body of the Reform and Development Party, Irene Saeed - one of the nine representatives who raised the question - commented that she and a number of representatives had previously submitted parliamentary questions during the last session, but no results or documented information had been reached yet, according to a statement issued by her on Wednesday.
Last December, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly acknowledged that poverty rates had increased slightly above the rate announced in 2020, without disclosing the rate of increase, but press reports indicated that poverty rates had risen to about 34 percent.
Writer and political analyst Jamal Asaad criticized the absence of government announcements about poverty rates, telling Asharq Al-Awsat: “The economic numbers announced, whether about inflation or otherwise, are less than what the citizen feels in the street, so what about the numbers that are not announced?”
The inflation rate in Egypt last August recorded 14.5 percent, on an annual basis, compared to 14.9 percent in July.
A “politically difficult” issue
Professor of political sociology, Saeed Sadiq, rules out that the government will respond to the representatives by presenting poverty rates soon, citing a speech by one of the nine representatives, Muhammad Fouad, in which he indicated that the request was submitted to the government six months ago without result.
Sadiq believes that the government “is not ready to disclose poverty rates,” and said that the national forum scheduled to be held this month “will mostly be devoted to presenting other numbers such as the growth of the national product, the decline of unemployment to 6.3 percent in 2025, the existence of a primary surplus, and to presenting social protection packages, achievements in roads, power stations, and ports, and reviewing the ability to overcome the region’s shocks and pay obligations.”
He pointed out that publishing new poverty rates is “a politically difficult issue.” If the number rises, it will raise doubts about talk of achievement, and if it decreases without a recent survey, it may not be believed.”
Representative Rawya Mukhtar had called on the government to provide modern and integrated data that “reveals the actual impact of economic policies on citizens’ incomes and living standards.”
The representative, who is among the nine members, stressed that “evaluating the government’s performance and achievements cannot be completed in a complete manner without the presence of recent data showing developments in poverty rates and citizens’ incomes,” according to a statement issued by her.
Sadiq said that the government is dealing with the poverty issue “through an alleviation policy, through food support, and targeted support for those below the poverty line through (solidarity and dignity) pensions, allowances, and exceptional packages, in an attempt to contain the impact of inflation.”
A publication by the Syrian embassy in Cairo about the cessation of work there during the “October 6 holiday” sparked controversy and criticism in Egypt. Some did not like its wording, while the Syrian side said that the circular did not carry any meaning beyond simply informing Syrians in Egypt about the scheduled official holiday.
The Syrian Embassy in Cairo had published, through its official Facebook account, a post announcing the cessation of its work on Thursday, October 8, 2026, on the occasion of an official holiday, describing it as “the host country’s holiday,” without congratulations or explicit reference to the anniversary of the “October War of 1973,” which Egypt celebrates at this time every year.
While Egyptian observers criticized the wording in which the leaflet was written, which did not include the name of the country or the reason for the holiday, the media official of the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Muhammad Fadel, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the leaflets of embassies and consulates “are in order to inform the members of the Syrian community about the scheduled holiday, and to inform them that the embassy will be closed on that day, and it is not related to any other matter, and has no other meaning.”
However, the embassy later deleted the post, without publishing any amendment or other post regarding the matter.
“Improve relations”
Regarding some people’s interpretation of the embassy’s post and giving it connotations such as “not talking about October or ignoring the name of Egypt and saying the host country,” Fadel said: “This has no basis in reality and is not true.”
He continued: “We mentioned (the Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic in Cairo)... How can we ignore it? Is Cairo a thing and Egypt a thing?
Fadel noted that “the embassies of many countries do the same thing, in addition to the repeated occurrence of the matter by Syrian embassies in other countries, which means that the issue is not intended for anything other than reporting the day off.”
He talked about “improved relations between Egypt and Syria,” and demonstrated this by “the successive and continuing meetings between officials in the two countries.”
The Syrian News Agency reported on Wednesday that the Advisor for Arab Affairs at the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Muhammad Taha Al-Ahmad, met with the Chargé d'Affaires of the Egyptian Embassy in Damascus, Muhammad Al-Faqi, and a delegation that included the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Egyptian Air Cairo Company and a number of its officials.
She explained that the meeting “discussed the steps taken to begin operating flights between Syria and Egypt in a way that facilitates the movement of citizens and reflects positively on various aspects of cooperation between the two countries.”
For its part, the Syrian Civil Aviation Authority said, “The meeting was held at the Authority’s building in Damascus, and dealt with strengthening air connectivity between the two countries, developing technical and operational cooperation frameworks, and discussing the relevant regulatory and procedural requirements, in line with approved regulations and legislation and air safety standards.”
Economic cooperation
Political differences between Egypt and Syria do not hinder the improvement of relations between the two countries, which appeared recently after a period of stagnation. According to Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Ati, his country’s relations with Syria “are moving forward, moving in a normal direction, and there is no cooling.” At the end of last month, he announced his intention to visit Damascus soon.
According to an informed Syrian source who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat earlier, “Egyptian-Syrian relations are good, and they must be good.”
Gradually, relations between Egypt and Syria developed within the framework of economic cooperation between the two sides, as part of Damascus’s move towards rebuilding its economy and strengthening its regional partnerships. In the middle of last month, the Syrian capital hosted the first meeting of the “Syrian-Egyptian Business Council.”
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa met with the Egyptian Foreign Minister during US President Donald Trump’s meeting with a number of regional leaders in New York last September. An Egyptian government delegation, headed by Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister for Arab Affairs Ihab Fahmy, also visited Damascus to enhance joint cooperation paths between the two countries.
Egypt and South Korea agreed to raise bilateral relations to the level of a “strategic partnership,” in a way that enhances political, defense, economic, and development cooperation between the two countries.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi held talks in Seoul with his Korean counterpart, Lee Jae-myung, on Thursday, and stressed that “the strategic partnership step opens new horizons for Egyptian-Korean cooperation in all political, economic and development fields.”
Sisi's visit to Seoul was part of an Asian tour that also included Malaysia and Indonesia. According to a joint statement, the two countries will work to enhance political exchanges, including continued dialogue and consultations between the two foreign ministries.
The Egyptian President also discussed the possibilities of “expanding tripartite cooperation between the two countries and African countries,” given “the strategic importance of Egypt as a gateway to Africa.”
According to the joint statement, Egypt and South Korea welcomed the continuation of cooperation in the defense sector, and indicated that the two countries “will continue to achieve further progress in the field of cooperation in defense industries.”
On the economic level, the two sides stressed “joint work to strengthen trade and investment ties as a basic pillar for supporting comprehensive economic cooperation.” The two presidents also welcomed the launch of “the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations.”
The two leaders also witnessed the signing of a number of joint agreements in the fields of “social insurance, communications and information technology, clean energy, industry, and maritime cooperation.”
According to former Assistant Foreign Minister Ambassador Mohamed Hegazy, the “strategic partnership” strengthens the ties between Cairo and Seoul in various fields. He told Asharq Al-Awsat that “the development of Egyptian-Korean relations is consistent with the Egyptian policy approach externally, which is based on strategic balance and diversification of foreign relations and partnerships.”
Hegazy believes that “the economic aspect is at the forefront of Cairo and Seoul’s concerns,” and points out that “disruptions in global supply chains due to tensions in the Strait of Hormuz have prompted Asian countries to turn to Middle Eastern markets to localize industries near global markets, especially Europe and Africa.”
He adds: “An essential aspect of Egyptian-Korean cooperation is based on the localization of Korean industries in Egypt.”
South Korea is counting on the Egyptian partnership to achieve more openness in the African market, according to Hegazy, who continued his speech by saying: “Korea has a strategy towards Africa, and aims to cooperate with Cairo to achieve more partnerships, especially after the (African Business Forum) was held in El Alamein a few days ago.”
Regarding regional developments, Cairo and Seoul agreed to “joint work to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula,” as well as “to continue strategic dialogue on regional and international issues, including the Palestinian issue, water security, the situations in the Horn of Africa, Yemen and Libya, and freedom of international navigation,” according to the joint statement.
