Within the framework of the year of humanitarian cooperation between Egypt and Russia, which came at the initiative of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, a delegation from the Egyptian Association of Graduates from Russian and Soviet Universities, in cooperation with the Egyptian-Russian University, planted an olive tree in the university yard in Badr City as a symbol of friendship between Egypt and Russia and an embodiment of the historical friendship and cooperation between the two peoples.

The ceremony of planting the friendship tree was attended by Makarem El-Ghamry, professor of Russian literature and former dean of the Faculty of Al-Alsun at Ain Shams University; Fathy Toughan, secretary-general of the Egyptian Association of Graduates from Russian and Soviet Universities; together with Hanaa Abdelrahman, supervisor of student activities at the Egyptian-Russian University.

Students at the Egyptian-Russian University with Fathy Toughan, Sherif Fakhry, Sherif Gad and Makarem El-Ghamry

President of the Egyptian-Russian University Sherif Fakhry explained that planting the tree comes within the framework of the university administration’s keenness to build bridges of communication with the Russian side and to consolidate cooperation between the university and the Russian cultural centres in Egypt, pointing out that the growth of the friendship tree in the university's square will remain an expression of the authenticity and continuity of relations between the two peoples, and a reminder to students and visitors over the coming years of the importance of this distinguished relationship.

On the sidelines, Fakhry honoured student of the Department of Construction Engineering at the university Bassem Allam for obtaining second-place across Egypt this year in the Russian Language Olympiad organised by the Russian Cultural Centre. Allam was previously honoured by Director of the Russian Cultural Centres in Egypt Aleksey Tevanyan.

Sherif Gad, president of the Egyptian Association of Graduates from Russian and Soviet Universities, stated that the association’s initiative demonstrates the depth of historical relations between the two countries in light of the year of humanitarian cooperation between Egypt and Russia, adding that the initiative was carried out in cooperation with one of the major Egyptian educational and cultural institutions to highlight the enlightening role of Russian culture in Egyptian society.

For his part, Arseny Starkov, deputy director of the Russian Cultural Centre in Cairo, expressed his happiness to participate in planting the olive tree as an embodiment of Egyptian-Russian friendship, as well as three small lemon trees, especially since this initiative coincided with the Russian Federation's celebrations of the 76th anniversary of the victory in World War II.

The celebration was concluded with an artistic performance by student Abdelrahman El-Iraqi, who recited a poem in Russian.