Egyptian Ministries Begin Gradual Move to New Cairo

The first meeting of the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral at the New Capital (Egyptian Gov)
The first meeting of the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral at the New Capital (Egyptian Gov)
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Egyptian Ministries Begin Gradual Move to New Cairo

The first meeting of the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral at the New Capital (Egyptian Gov)
The first meeting of the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral at the New Capital (Egyptian Gov)

Egyptian ministries are gradually establishing New Cairo as the country's New Administrative Capital, with several officials holding meetings at their headquarters.

The New Capital is located about 75 kilometers east of Cairo, and the cost of investments in its first phase is estimated at EGP300 billion.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi described the New Cairo as "the birth of a new state and republic."

The Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral resources held its first meeting at its headquarters in the government district.

Minister Tarek el-Molla said during the meeting that the step comes in the implementation of the President's directions to move to the New Capital gradually.

Molla explained that the move reflects the civilized form of the new republic to adopt an integrated state characterized by modernity, development, and digital transformation in all its sectors in implementing the Egypt Vision 2030.

The ministerial meeting touched on the program to maximize dependency on natural gas as a fuel for cars and launched the plan to establish 1,000 gas stations.

The meeting also addressed the completion of car conversion centers following the specific time programs to meet the needs of citizens wishing to alter their cars to natural gas. About 500,000 owners have switched their vehicles to natural gas so far.

The statement noted that natural gas had been transferred to most areas in the administrative capital, and the external installations of buildings, residential units, the diplomatic district, the investors' area, the GOV2 area, the Chinese towers, and the presidential area have been implemented.

Modern Gas Company is connecting the internal network to the government district.

Last December, the government held its first full cabinet meeting at the New Administrative Capital, within the framework of an experimental transitional period that begins in December and will last for six months.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said at the time that "it is a historic day."

"Our meeting today in the government district at the New Administrative Capital sends a strong and clear message to the world that Egypt is taking steady and vigorous steps towards the future despite the challenges it faces."

"Moving to the new capital is not only a geographic transfer, it means a complete change of the administrative work in the government in light of seeking to promote good governance and digitalizing services," Madbouli added.



Erdogan: Kurdish Militia in Syria Will Be Buried If They Do Not Lay Down Arms

A Syrian Kurd waves the flag of YPG (People's Protection Units) near Qamishli's airport in northeastern Syria on December 8, 2024, following the fall of the capital Damascus to anti-government fighters. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)
A Syrian Kurd waves the flag of YPG (People's Protection Units) near Qamishli's airport in northeastern Syria on December 8, 2024, following the fall of the capital Damascus to anti-government fighters. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)
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Erdogan: Kurdish Militia in Syria Will Be Buried If They Do Not Lay Down Arms

A Syrian Kurd waves the flag of YPG (People's Protection Units) near Qamishli's airport in northeastern Syria on December 8, 2024, following the fall of the capital Damascus to anti-government fighters. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)
A Syrian Kurd waves the flag of YPG (People's Protection Units) near Qamishli's airport in northeastern Syria on December 8, 2024, following the fall of the capital Damascus to anti-government fighters. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Kurdish fighters in Syria will either lay down their weapons or "be buried", amid hostilities between Türkiye-backed Syrian fighters and the militants since the fall of Bashar al-Assad this month.
Following Assad's departure, Ankara has repeatedly insisted that the Kurdish YPG group must disband, asserting that the group has no place in Syria's future. The change in Syria's leadership has left the country's main Kurdish factions on the back foot.
"The separatist murderers will either bid farewell to their weapons, or they will be buried in Syrian lands along with their weapons," Erdogan told lawmakers from his ruling AK Party in parliament.
"We will eradicate the terrorist organization that is trying to weave a wall of blood between us and our Kurdish siblings," he added.
Türkiye views the Kurdish YPG group- the main component of the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militia, which has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.
The PKK is designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union. Ankara has repeatedly called on its NATO ally Washington and others to stop supporting the YPG.
Earlier, Türkiye's defense ministry said the armed forces had killed 21 YPG-PKK militants in northern Syria and Iraq.
In a Reuters interview last week, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi acknowledged the presence of PKK fighters in Syria for the first time, saying they had helped battle ISIS and would return home if a total ceasefire was agreed with Türkiye, a core demand from Ankara.
He denied any organizational ties with the PKK.
Erdogan also said Türkiye would soon open its consulate in Aleppo, and added Ankara expected an increase in traffic at its borders in the summer of next year, as some of the millions of Syrian migrants it hosts begin returning.