Some thirty ambassadors took part this evening in the event organised by the Ambassador of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in Cairo Mario Carotenuto for the Feast of St John the Baptist, patron saint of the organisation, emphasising its role in mediating conflicts and assisting the sick and the poor.
In addition to the ambassadors of Russia and Ukraine, Azerbaijan, South Sudan and India, Israel's ambassador to Cairo Amira Oron, Qatar's deputy ambassador Maryam Ahmad Al Shibi, the director of the UN Development Agency (UNDP) Alessandro Fracassetti and a representative of the Multinational Force for the Supervision of the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty were also present.
The event was also attended by numerous Coptic Catholic, Coptic Orthodox and Armenian religious authorities, whose imminent ecumenical meeting was announced by the Orthodox Pope Theodore II.
In a brief speech, the Order of Malta's ambassador to Cairo, Mario Carotenuto, recalled the prevailing assistance activities provided in 120 countries around the world, with 13,500 members supported by 95,000 volunteers, including 52,000 doctors, paramedics and nurses in hundreds of medical and care centres, including for mental health and the elderly.
"The Order," he said, "is currently involved in 70 areas in Ukraine and neighbouring countries. In the Middle East it assists the victims of the conflicts in Syria and Iraq. In northern Iraq it has launched a programme to reintegrate refugees in their places of origin, including many persecuted minorities such as the Yazidis. The project includes the reconstruction of infrastructure and support for education and training. In central Iraq we are involved in providing care, including dental care, to displaced people. In Bethlehem, the Order runs the only hospital with a neonatal intensive care unit. The Order of Malta's Italian Ambulance Corps participates in the first aid of migrants in distress in the Mediterranean'.
Being a "neutral, apolitical and independent" institution, the Order acts as a mediator in conflicts: "we have diplomatic relations with 113 states," remarked Carotenuto, "official relations with 6 others and ambassadorial relations with the European Union, a permanent observer at the UN and we are represented in the main international organisations.
The Embassy in Egypt directly supports several dispensaries, including the day hospitals in El Minia and Shoubra. This year it completed the renovation of several facilities, including a school for Eritrean refugees at St Joseph's Church in Cairo.
A memorandum of understanding was signed between the Order of Malta's Embassy and Elite Medical service, a private healthcare company specialising in medical consultancy in Egypt, Italy and the Middle East, which also runs several clinics. The company has undertaken, thanks to the Order, to visit Eritrean refugees free of charge in case of need.
Also in Egypt, two other schools for young refugees from Sudan and South Sudan are being renovated, for which sponsors are being sought. Another project supported by the Order of Malta, called Aman, in cooperation with an NGO, aims to bring clean water, electricity, sanitation and rubbish collection to the poorest neighbourhoods, in cooperation with the Egyptian authorities.
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