Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly attended the ceremony alongside several ministers, senior officials, heads of judicial bodies, former prime ministers and foreign ministers, current and former ambassadors, young diplomats, heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Cairo, and other public figures.
Egypt commemorated on Thursday the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the first body responsible for overseeing trade and foreign relations in 1826.
In his keynote address, Madbouly praised the foreign ministry's historic role in advancing Egypt's national interests, safeguarding its national security, and strengthening its regional and international standing.
He also paid tribute to generations of Egyptian diplomats for their service, expressing the state's appreciation for both current and former members of the ministry, as well as diplomats who lost their lives while carrying out their national duties abroad.
Madbouly reaffirmed the government's commitment to supporting the ministry, enhancing its institutional capabilities, and empowering its diplomatic corps to continue fulfilling its national mission.
Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty described the bicentennial as a milestone, celebrating Egypt's long diplomatic legacy and reaffirming the ministry's commitment to serving the country and defending its interests.
He said Egyptian diplomacy had undergone a qualitative transformation over the past decade under the leadership of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. Egypt's diplomacy, he added, continues to strengthen the country's regional and international standing while maintaining a strategy of balancing adherence to national principles with openness to the world.
Abdelatty also praised successive generations of diplomats, administrative staff, and support personnel, paying special tribute to members of the ministry who were killed while serving overseas.
The foreign minister expressed gratitude on behalf of the ministry's employees for President El-Sisi's decision to include foreign ministry personnel among the beneficiaries of the Fund for Honouring the Martyrs, Victims, and Missing of Military, Terrorist, and Security Operations.
He also thanked the president for congratulating the ministry on its bicentennial, describing the gesture as a recognition of the sacrifices and contributions of Egypt's diplomats.
During the ceremony, the families of foreign ministry personnel who lost their lives while carrying out official assignments abroad were honoured.
The event also featured the inauguration of the Egyptian Diplomacy Museum, which houses a collection of rare historical documents, original diplomatic correspondence, treaties, and agreements that document key milestones in Egypt's foreign relations and preserve the legacy of generations of Egyptian diplomats.
On 15 March, President El-Sisi marked Egyptian Diplomacy Day, congratulating the foreign ministry’s staff for their role in representing the country’s interests abroad.
Egyptian Diplomacy Day, marked annually on 15 March, commemorates the re-establishment of the foreign ministry in 1922 following the country’s independence from Britain.
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