The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Slovak Embassy in Cairo told the TASR newswire that they are both closely monitoring the case of Adam Azab, a boy with a Slovak mother who at the age of two was reportedly kidnapped in 2008 by his father while spending a holiday in Egypt.
“[The boy’s mother] Mrs. Katarína Azab has been provided with temporary accommodation [in Cairo], with embassy employees at her disposal at all times to offer help,” announced the press department of the Foreign Affaires Ministry, as quoted by TASR, adding that the Slovak Ambassador in Cairo, Peter Zsoldos, and Consul Valér Franko initiated a number of meetings with representatives of relevant Egyptian authorities.
The ministry’s statement came in a reaction to criticism levelled by Anna Ghannamová, the chair of civil association ‘Dobré Srdcia Hľadajú...’ (Good Hearts Are Looking For...), who said on Thursday, November 17 that the mission of Foreign Affairs Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda in Egypt failed due to a lack of involvement on the part of the Slovak Embassy in Cairo. The association called on the ministry to either dismiss the Slovak ambassador or appoint a specialist for this particular case.
Because bilateral tools have not produced the desired outcome, TASR reported that the ministry has attempted to draw the attention of European institutions to the case of the allegedly kidnapped boy. Dzurinda planned to involve the European Commission but was advised by European Commissioner for Justice Viviane Reding to handle the issue at a bilateral level.
Interpol, UNICEF, the wife of Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič, Silvia Gašparovičová, the working group for human rights in Brussels, Czech Euro Commissioner Štefan Füle and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have also intervened in the case. Slovakia has also asked Egyptian bodies such as the Ombudsman’s Office, the Red Crescent and Family Affairs Minister Mushira Khattab to intervene and urged Egypt to resolve the matter in a prompt manner.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
