The ceremony was attended by president of the University of Belgrade, Serbian minister of education, science, and technological development, and members of the University Council.

El-Sisi was granted the honorary doctorate for his role in leading Egypt during a difficult period of unrest, steering the country towards a new stage of development and construction and comprehensive structural reforms in the economic and social fields, Rady said.

It also came in the light of the major national projects that El-Sisi has launched in various sectors. The projects have contributed to improving the services provided to Egyptians and redrawing Egypt’s development map, Rady added.

El-Sisi said he is proud to have received the honorary doctorate, noting that it is an award deserved by the Egyptian people, being a key partner in the recent achievements.

University officials hailed the president’s efforts to develop Egyptian education, especially by maximising spending on primary education and raising the level of higher education through a series of fundamental reform projects, the presidential statement read.

The officials referred to El-Sisi’s influential role in boosting relations between Egypt and Serbia, especially at the academic and cultural levels, which is part of the historical relations between the two countries within the framework of the Non-Aligned Movement, Rady added.

On Wednesday, President El-Sisi and his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vučić inaugurated the Egyptian-Serbian Businessmen Forum and launched an integrated strategic partnership between the two countries. They also witnessed the signing of a series of agreements covering several fields, including higher education, agriculture, arts and culture, and environmental protection. 

The university praised the effective contribution of El-Sisi in promoting peace and cooperation at the regional and international levels, as well as his pioneering efforts towards combating terrorism and irregular migration, read the statement.

The officials at the university highlighted Egypt’s efforts in the face of climate change, which culminated in Egypt’s scheduled hosting of the 27th session of the UN Climate Conference (COP27) in November in Sharm El-Sheikh.

Delivering a speech during the celebration, El-Sisi said that climate change represents a real threat to the international community, stressing that it is important to deal seriously with water scarcity, desertification and drought.

“We must realise that climate change and global overpopulation aggravate the crisis that is now posing serious threats to many areas in the world,” he said.

Based on Egypt's keenness to rally international efforts to combat climate change, El-Sisi said the country hopes the outcomes of COP27 will contribute to putting the world on the right track to turn pledges into action, especially regarding efforts to reduce gas emissions and support developing countries combat climate change.