JEDDAH — Egyptian Consul General Adel El-Alfy met with Najran Emir Prince Mishaal Bin Abdullah to discuss issues related to the 300,000-strong Egyptian community in the province, the diplomat told a meeting at the Jeddah-based consulate on Tuesday evening. El-Alfy confirmed consulate missions would pay regular visits to Najran Province as part of ongoing efforts to facilitate direct communication with the large community. El-Alfy also met Egyptians there to discuss community needs. He assured the community there that professional associations would be formed to represent the community. The visit came as a chain of a series of visits to far-off areas under the consulate's jurisdiction to engage with the Egyptian community and fulfill the Egyptian Foreign Ministry's goal to help expatriates. At the meeting, El-Alfy talked about the two main missions that he had adopted since his posting in Jeddah, including facilitating the Haj season and dealing with overstayers. Since his arrival in Jeddah, he was keen to communicate with the Egyptian community despite his tight schedule preparing for Haj, which attracts 80,000 pilgrims from Egypt alone, in addition to expatriates from other countries and within the Kingdom. There are almost a million Egyptians who come for Umrah throughout the year and they are also part of the consulate's responsibilities. During the Haj season, the Egyptian consulate has established an operations room operating around the clock to communicate with all Egyptian Haj commissions and pilgrims. In addition, El-Alfy has conducted field visits to meet pilgrims at the airports in Madinah and Jeddah. The consul general with the help of other consuls is forming a dedicated media department to communicate with the Egyptian community through social media and other channels. The consulate is also working on providing an SMS system as another means of communication to send updates and announcements to the community. El-Alfy discussed the issue of overstayers who entered the Kingdom with Umrah visas and violated immigration rules by staying till Haj. They then gather in front of the Egyptian Consulate in Jeddah in an attempt to provoke the authorities into deporting them. El-Alfy said thanks to the efforts of his predecessors the number of Egyptian overstayers was minimized this year. This year action was taken against travel agents that leave behind pilgrims who then overstay on their visas. They will be blocked from organizing Umrah trips. El-Alfy praised the cooperation of Saudi authorities as well as their efforts and the priority they give to Egyptians to complete Haj and Umrah procedures. The Egyptian community also helps by providing donations to facilitate the travel of some overstayers, he said. During the referendum on a new constitution that took place in December, the consulate worked for almost a week to ensure voting at the mission went smoothly. Egyptian associations played their role in organizing voting courses for voters, El-Alfy said. They also communicated any voting problems to the consulate, which worked with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Egypt to resolve them. The consulate is getting ready to announce the opening of the registration period for Egyptian expatriates who want to vote in the coming parliament elections. This will also help the consulate to expand its database on the Egyptian community. The consulate also communicates with lawyers to provide legal support to Egyptians who need it. A medical doctors association has been formed to help Egyptians who are unable to afford medical fees and need help. The work of associations is organized by the consulate through regular meetings to discuss certain issues and future plans for the community. El-Alfy also received Ahmad Sameh, chairman of Egypt's Akhbar El-Yom newspaper.
