All safety barriers blocking roads and walkways around foreign embassies in Egypt are set to be removed after two decades, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on the sidelines of the Maspero Cultural Salon at the National Media Authority, Ahram Online reports. It is not clear when the removal of the restrictions will take effect.
The removal will reopen several public streets to pedestrians and vehicles.
This comes in the aftermath of tensions with the British mission in Egypt late last month, in which barriers around the embassy were removed and the embassy subsequently halted its operations for a number of days.
The removal of the security barriers followed increasing pressure from Egyptian public figures and political groups to end what they described as special treatment of the British mission.
Prominent television host Ahmed Mousa last week urged authorities to remove the barriers, writing on X that “enough with granting the British embassy in Cairo special privileges by closing the surrounding streets.”
The National Front Party also called for the privileges to be revoked. The party demanded that the British embassy be treated in line with other diplomatic missions operating in Cairo.
Tensions Over Embassy Security
The debate comes amid heightened diplomatic friction following incidents at Egyptian embassies abroad.
Egypt has repeatedly criticized European governments for failing to secure its embassies, warning that reciprocal measures could be taken in Cairo. In a televised interview earlier this month, Abdelatty emphasized that Egypt considers the protection of its diplomatic missions “non-negotiable.”
“Any country failing to protect Egyptian embassies will be held to the same standard,” he said.
Several Egyptian embassies overseas have recently faced protests, with demonstrators attempting to disrupt their operations, including by chaining embassy gates. Many of these protests have accused Egypt of preventing aid from entering Gaza.
Egypt, however, has rejected these allegations, stressing that the Rafah crossing remains open on its side and that restrictions are imposed by Israel. Officials have said that thousands of aid trucks are waiting to cross but have been blocked by Israeli authorities, who have warned that any unauthorized deliveries risk being targeted.
Earlier this month, Foreign Minister Abdelatty, speaking alongside CNN’s Becky Anderson, reiterated that Egypt is not preventing aid from entering Gaza and that Israel controls access from the other side of the border.
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