Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly met on Monday with Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark Pope, Tawadros II, at the third edition of Logos Coptic Youth Forum – 2022. Minister of State for Emigration and Egyptians Expatriates' Affairs Soha Gendy also participated in the forum, which was held under the slogan "Back to the Roots", in the presence of a number of bishops and church leaders. Pope Tawadros II inaugurated on Sunday the forum, in which 200 young people from 35 parishes from all over the world participated this year. Madbouly stressed during his speech that the Egyptians work together as one fabric, and that Egypt absorbs its children without discrimination or prejudice, expressing his happiness and welcome to the young people participating in the "Third Logos Youth Forum 2022" to communicate with their mother country, especially that the forum is held under the slogan "Return to the roots". Addressing the youth, the Prime Minister said: I hope that your visit to Egypt will be an opportunity to see for yourself the large scale of development that has been accomplished in the new city of El Alamein. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister said that the Egyptian state has been subjected to very difficult circumstances over the past 10 years, which began since the 25 January revolution, which had a significant impact on Egypt's economic conditions, and since that date Egypt has gone through turmoil that is not hidden from anyone, and only for the mercy of God and the effort made by the Egyptian state during this period, the country would have slipped to a dangerous fate. He added: Egypt has lived through a very difficult period since 2011 until the outbreak of the 30 June revolution, in which the masses stood up against the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood and its attempts to change the identity of the Egyptian personality. The Prime Minister continued: The Egyptians chose President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to lead the Egyptian state and build the "new republic". Madbouly indicated that 20 years before 2014, Egypt did not carry out infrastructure works to accommodate population growth, and before President Al-Sisi assumed the responsibility of leading the country, there was a major challenge related to the lack of utility and electricity services, which were in a state of almost continuous interruption, as well as a shortage in sanitation services. He added that before 2014, the population of Egypt was less by 15-16 million people, and the unemployment rate was more than 13%, and the Egyptian economy was deteriorating. Rely on focusing on infrastructure investment business in all fields and sectors. He continued: With the increase in the population, we needed to expand in the populated area and thus establish a group of new cities such as the new city of El Alamein, which by the way is not only a tourist resort or a summer residence, but besides that it includes an industrial city, a university and residential projects, and all these projects have a return. The Prime Minister stressed that the establishment of the new cities was primarily aimed at establishing residential communities for young people characterized by a better quality of life. Continuously, the city includes all the ingredients that guarantee a better life for young people, explaining that all the cities that are created are smart and sustainable cities. For his part, Pope Tawadros thanked the Prime Minister, saying: New El Alamein has Saint Marina Church on the northern coast, and a new church is being built there also. Addressing the youth, the Pope said: Do not believe the media that presents a distorted image of Egypt, and you must always bear in mind the beautiful image that you see in reality. The Pope touched on the "Decent Life" project, which serves 60 million rural citizens in areas where services are not adequately provided, and a large number of young people are based on the project. Gendy expressed her happiness at the Prime Minister's reception of the youth of the forum, which is a clear indication of the Egyptian government's keenness to showcase the projects being implemented on the ground, as well as to listen to these young people about their hopes and aspirations.
