This morning, the foreign service of Egypt lamented the sad loss of prominent Egyptian diplomat Ambassador Mohamed Shaker, who passed away at the age of 85. 

Shaker graduated from Cairo University’s Faculty of Law in the early 1950s, and joined the foreign ministry soon after. He pursued his diplomatic career in parallel with his political science studies.

Shaker served in some of Egypt’s most influential overseas diplomatic missions, including at the UN headquarters in New York, as the Egyptian ambassador to Austria, and the permanent representative at the International Atomic Energy Agency.

These positions made Shaker one of the most prominent experts at the Egyptian foreign ministry on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, especially in the Middle East.

Shaker’s name is most associated with the cause of defending regional and international security and the promotion of the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Shaker is also well-remembered at the ministry for his role as ambassador of Egypt to the UK from 1988 to 1997; a historic phase marked by the end of the Cold War and the rise of the sole global superpower.

Many diplomats who served with Shaker, especially during his time in London, have always spoken favourably of his distinguished professionalism and sincere dedication to serving his country.

By the end of his service in the late 1990s, Shaker continued to contribute to the foreign policy debate when he, along with other prominent diplomats and political scientists, established in 1999 the Egyptian Council on Foreign Relations, which he chaired for its first five years.