Amr Moussa, Egyptian presidential hopeful, attended a farewell gathering at the headquarters of the Arab League Thursday, where he gave a speech marking the end of his tenure as secretary general of the League, a position he held since 2001.

Egypt’s ex-Foreign Minister Nabil El-Arabi, who filled the post in Egypt’s interim government, is to replace Moussa, who will in turn be replaced by Mohamed El-Orabi, a career diplomat previously holding key posts, including in Tel Aviv and Berlin.

In his speech, Moussa praised El-Arabi, saying he is confident of his imminent success as secretary general of the League, and vouched for his ability to take on the post.

El-Arabi stirred the waters in his short term heading the Foreign Ministry, showing a confrontational attitude towards the long-practiced policies of the former regime, calling for normalising relations with Iran and criticising the closure of Rafah Crossing between Egypt and Gaza.

74-year old Moussa intends to run for office in Egypt’s upcoming presidential elections. A recent pole undertaken by the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces on Facebook found Moussa to be fourth in the running, despite his perceived popularity on the Egyptian street.