Egyptian-Russian Friendship Association launches its new committees' activities

Reham El-Adawi , Thursday 14 Nov 2024

The Egyptian-Russian Friendship Association celebrated the launch of its newly formed specialized committees, highlighting its mission to strengthen cultural and social ties. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin supported these initiatives.

Egyptian-Russian Friendship Association's
Ibrahim Kamel and Sherif Gad with members of the Egyptian-Russian Friendship Association's newly formed committees Photo courtesy of the Russian Culture center.

 

The association had opened applications for members to form six specialized committees: Cultural Committee, Media, Membership Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Social Affairs, and Cinema.

 

Following a meeting of the committee heads and members to coordinate their work, the association's monthly meeting was held on 11 November. It was chaired by businessman Ibrahim Kamel, chairman of the board, and Sherif Gad, secretary-general of the Friendship Association and director of cultural activities at the Russian Cultural Centre.

 

Gad began his speech by praising this experience as a continuation of the association's decisive steps since resuming its activities a few months ago. He noted that the Russian side undoubtedly reciprocates the spirit of Egyptian-Russian friendship, represented by the Russian-Egyptian Friendship Association in Russia.

 

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Gad emphasized that establishing these specialized committees aims to coordinate efforts, especially in cultural, media, and social committees. This will support a spirit of love and connection among members. "Additionally, these committees will help increase awareness of activities that hold great value for both nations, especially considering the large number of Russian expatriates in Egypt," he said.

 

Gad concluded his speech by commending Kamel's role in revitalizing the association, which has garnered support from prominent figures across various sectors of Egyptian society.

For his part, Kamel congratulated the attendees on this pivotal experience, wished them continued success, and encouraged them to expedite the development of the key objectives and frameworks for each committee's activities while proposing appropriate ideas for implementation.

 

Speaking about Egyptian-Russian relations, Kamel highlighted that Russia is a friendly nation to Egypt, with their cooperation reflected in several major national projects and Egypt's membership in BRICS. "This growth in relations strongly indicates promising steps for both countries, and the cooperation among the association members is one of many outcomes, a foundation significantly supported by Presidents El-Sisi and Putin," he said.

 

Following this, the panel listened to comments and suggestions from the attendees before beginning the screening of the documentary film Miyyat Al-Hajar (Water of the Stone), which explores one of the oldest professions known to humanity — stone carving — and its secrets. The film featured scenes from the tomb of Tutankhamun and live testimonies from notable figures, like former Minister of Antiquities Zahi Hawass, former Minister of Culture Farouk Hosny, and other prominent scientists and specialists.

 

Miyyat Al-Hajar was produced by the International Relations Department of Egyptian Television, with funding from the European Broadcasting Union. The production team included Mustafa Yehia as director of photography, Shadi Ahmed as executive director, and Emad Khalifa as production manager, with the film's vision and direction by Mohab Zannon. After the screening, Ahmed Abdel-Alim Qassem, the president of the Cinema Committee, held a seminar, hosting the film's director to discuss the atmosphere and experience of creating the film.

 

It is worth noting that the Egyptian-Russian Friendship Association’s activities stopped for several years. With membership re-opening last June, a group of Egyptian icons in different fields gathered to restore the association's history and reinforce Russian-Egyptian relations.  

 

Since its founding in 1987, the association has been headed by several figures, most notably the late Mourad Ghaleb, former foreign affairs minister of Egypt, and most recently, the late Fathi Sorour, former speaker of the People’s Assembly.

 

The first monthly meeting of the association's members to discuss its goals took place on 8 July 2024 at the headquarters of the Russian Cultural Centre in Dokki. The members' proposals for the Egyptian-Russian Friendship Association activities included organizing an annual conference for Russian entrepreneurs in Egypt.

 

Furthermore, a team will prepare a cultural symposium on all aspects of art and issue monthly and electronic newspapers to document the association’s activities. This is in addition to visiting Russian universities in Egypt, holding seminars there, and conducting tourist trips to the Suez Canal cities to introduce Egypt’s antiquities and its historical and national wealth with the participation of members of the Russian community in Egypt.  

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