(No. 43 – February 1, 2011 – 7:20 p.m. ET) The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today made the following statement on the situation in Egypt:
"We are closely monitoring the developments in Egypt. While we hope for an early and peaceful resolution of the situation without further violence and loss of life, the situation is very volatile and we recommend that Canadians leave Egypt. So far, we have had no reports of Canadians having been injured or killed.
"The number of Canadians registered with us is now 1,365, up from 1,131 yesterday.
"The government is providing ongoing consular assistance to Canadians who wish to leave. Two flights chartered by the Government of Canada yesterday transported more than 200 Canadians from Egypt. Both flights arrived in Frankfurt, Germany, where they were met by consular staff who assisted in arranging onward travel and overnight accommodation.
"As of today, the DFAIT Operations Centre has dealt with over 13,350 calls.
"The first two successful flights yesterday also evacuated citizens of Australia, the United States and Great Britain. An additional flight, which landed in Frankfurt at 5:30 p.m. ET, successfully evacuated 131 Canadian passengers.
"We urge Canadians to avoid travelling to Egypt due to demonstrations and protests, civil unrest, high levels of criminal activity and violence throughout the country, and the threat of terrorist attacks.
"Canadian citizens in Egypt wishing to be evacuated should contact the Canadian embassy in Cairo at 20 (2) 2791-8700 (those calling the embassy from Canada must dial 011 before the number) or make a collect call to the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada Emergency Operations Centre at 613-996-8885 or 613-943-1055.
"Friends and relatives in Canada seeking information on Canadian citizens believed to be in Egypt should contact the Operations Centre by calling, toll-free, 1-800-606-5499 or 1-800-387-3124.
"We urge the Egyptian government to embark on meaningful dialogue to respond to the wishes of the Egyptian people for democracy and economic reforms.
"We call on all parties to renounce the use of violence, and urge the Egyptian authorities to respond to the demonstrators peacefully.
"The Government of Canada has and will continue to support Egypt and other countries in the region in addressing the region's political, economic and social obstacles to development."
- 30 -
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Lynn Meahan
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
613-995-1851
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
Follow us on Twitter.
