CAIRO, Sept 4 (Aswat Masriya) – Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry called upon the G-20 member states to provide additional assistance for refugee-hosting countries, a foreign ministry statement said on Sunday.

Shoukry is among a number of Egyptian officials who arrived in China on Saturday alongside President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to attend the G-20 Summit held on 4 and 5 September. 

The Egyptian foreign minister discussed the importance of integrating the least developed countries into the global economy, saying it will help create more sustainable economies.

He spoke about the role of the G-20 member states in achieving sustainable development, addressing the global economic imbalances as well as supporting developing countries in facing growing challenges as climate change.

Shoukry also discussed "the Egyptian experience in fighting and combating terrorism", calling on the G-20 member states to exert more efforts towards halting terrorism financing.

He also added that the member states should play a role in providing additional assistance to countries hosting large refugee populations after conflicts and dire economic conditions in the Middle East region led to a huge increase in the number of refugees fleeing their countries over the past five years.

Sisi said in September 2015 that around 5 million refugees from Arab and African countries reside in Egypt. 

The UNHCR however estimated in mid-2015 that the total number of registered refugees in Egypt hover around 230,000, with more than half of them fleeing from war-torn Syria. In addition, UNHCR estimates that around 350,000 unregistered Syrians live in Egypt.