Egypt's Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukry met on Wednesday in Cairo with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grand where they discussed efforts to assist refugees in the region.

According to the Egyptian foreign ministry, Grand said he appreciates the role Egypt is currently playing regionally and internationally regarding refugees because of Cairo's efforts to support stability and security in the Middle East.

Grand also discussed with Shoukry ways to raise the level of cooperation between Egypt and the UNHCR.

Shoukry explained to Grand Cairo's evaluation of the situation in Syria, Iraq and Libya.

Egypt is host to 5 million refugees, according to official accounts.

The UNHCR released numbers in August showing that only 187,838 refugees in Egypt - mostly from war-torn Syria - are officially registered with the organisation.