New Russian ambassador to Egypt takes up post
Reham El-Adawi, , Tuesday 2 Jun 2020
Russia’s new ambassador to Egypt, Georgy Borisenko, arrived in Cairo a couple of days ago on a private plane, not waiting for the return of scheduled flights between the two countries.


The Egyptian Association of Soviet and Russian University Graduates sent a message of welcome and congratulations to Borisenko on his arrival in Cairo, where he will also act as Russian representative to the League of Arab States.

Borisenko was named in April as the new envoy to Egypt, but was delayed in taking up his post by the coronavirus.

The head of the graduate association, Sherif Gad, noted that the ambassador’s arrival on a private plane without waiting for the return of official flights reflects the importance of Egypt’s regional position to Russia.

International flights have been suspended since March, with some exceptions for specially chartered planes to return home stranded citizens.

The association hopes for the continuation of the great bilateral cooperation in all fields, Gad said, especially since the joint cooperation agenda includes major projects such as the Dabaa nuclear power plant and the industrial zone project in Port Said, in addition to the return of Russian tourism and the high rate of trade.

Fathi Togan, secretary-general of the association, said that in a speech addressing the Egyptian people, which he delivered in English, the ambassador spoke about the crucial role played by at on the international level, which stems not only from its cultural heritage as a cradle of human civilization, but also as one of the countries that plays a key role in international politics and has a leading role at the Arab and African level.

Togan said that the association has launched an initiative directed to the Egyptian community at both the official and popular levels to welcome the new Russian ambassador by emphasising the depth of historical relations between Egypt and Russia and the effect of Russian culture on many Egyptians.

Born on 7 July 1968, Borisenko graduated from Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) in 1990 and joined the Russian foreign ministry.

He worked at the Russian embassy in Switzerland and also served as Russia's representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna, as a consultant at the Russian embassy in the US, and as director of the North America Department at the ministry from 2014 until this year.

He speaks English and German.

The previous ambassador to Egypt, Sergey Kirpichenko, passed away last year at the age of 68.

He had been in the role since 2011.

https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/370391.aspx