Earlier on Saturday, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi appointed Fahmy as Egypt's ambassador to Hungary, succeeding El-Shennawy, who held the position in Hungary from 2021 to 2024.

The same presidential decree also appointed El-Shennawy ambassador-at-large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, overseeing migration and Egyptian expatriate affairs — a role he held briefly before his appointment as presidential spokesperson on Wednesday.

Who is Ambassador El-Shennawy?
 

Mohamed El-Shennawy holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Cairo University and a Master of International Law degree from the University of London.

He started his career as deputy prosecutor general.

In 1995, he joined the Foreign Ministry's Department of International Legal Affairs and Treaties.

Then, he served in the Egyptian embassy in The Hague. After finishing his stint abroad and returning to Cairo, he joined the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Later, El-Shennawy served in the Permanent Mission of Egypt to the United Nations (UN) in New York. After his tenure ended and he returned to Cairo, he once again joined the foreign minister's office.

After that, he rejoined the Permanent Mission of Egypt to the UN in New York and was part of the team representing Egypt during its UN Security Council (UNSC) membership.

From 2019 until his appointment as Egypt's ambassador to Hungary, he served as deputy assistant secretary of state for the foreign minister's office, before being named the official spokesman for the Egyptian presidency.

Additionally, Ambassador El-Shennawy participated in the UN General Assembly (UNGA) meetings from 2007 to 2019 and was a member of the Egyptian delegation negotiating the demarcation of the maritime border between Egypt and Greece.

He also participated in Egypt’s campaign to obtain non-permanent membership in the UNSC for 2016/2017.

Furthermore, El-Shennawy was in charge of Egypt’s UNSC Counter-Terrorism Committee presidency file.

He represented Egypt in the main UNGA committees concerned with the UN's legal affairs, financial and administrative matters, peacekeeping and peace-building operations, and negotiations related to the UNSC's expansion and reform.

Throughout his successful long career, El-Shennawy participated in many international meetings and was a member of several national committees.