Minister Flanagan raises Halawa case with Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister Badr

DUBLIN, Ireland, March 4, 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Today Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan, TD, met the Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister, Hisham Badr, in Geneva.

Minister Flanagan raised the matter of Ibrahim Halawa's detention. He said that he was most concerned about Ibrahim's welfare and wished to see him at home in Ireland resuming his studies. He referred to Ibrahim's long period of detention and said that he was in close contact with Ibrahim's family and, as a father himself, he understood their concerns and their desire to have Ibrahim back home and back at school.

Assistant Foreign Minister Badr undertook to take up the matter upon his return to Cairo and convey Minister Flanagan's concerns directly to his Government colleagues.

Minister Flanagan said:

"I was pleased to have the opportunity to discuss this case with AFM Badr today in Geneva. I will continue to avail of every appropriate opportunity to communicate to the Egyptian authorities the Irish Government's wish that Ibrahim be returned to his family and his studies."