CAIRO — The Foreign Relations Committee in the Egyptian parliament is meant to represent the voice of the Egyptian people in the international sphere, rather than just the government’s official stance. It is in charge of several files such as the Renaissance Dam and the crisis over the disputed areas of Halayeb and Shalateen, among other issues. Al-Monitor spoke with Ambassador Mohamed Orabi, the interim chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee in the Egyptian parliament, former foreign affairs minister and a leader in the Support Egypt coalition, asking him about the most important laws submitted to the committee and its future role in Egypt’s foreign relations.

The text of the interview follows.

Al-Monitor:  As chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee in the Egyptian parliament, what do you think are the most important laws that were discussed by this committee?

Orabi:  The most important laws approved by the committee are the law on the extradition of prisoners between Egypt and other countries, the law on the recovery of smuggled funds and the National Defense Council law.