On 12 November 2016, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukri received the Board members of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs presided by Ambassador Dr. Mounir Zahran. The delegation of the Council included : Ambassador Abdel Raouf Al-Reedy, the Honorary Chairman of the Council, Ambassador Dr. Mohamad Shaker, Ambassador Hesham Al-Zemaity, the Secretary-General of the Council, Ambassador Mona Omar, Ambassador Dr. Mahmoud Karem and the Director of the Council Ambassador Dr. Ezzat Saad.
In the beginning, the Chairman of the Council expressed his gratitude to His Excellency the Minister for receiving the Council Board members. He then surveyed the activities of the Council in the stated year, underlining that the Council highly depends on the Ministry’s moral and financial support to carry its mission of serving the Egyptian Foreign Policy, confirming at the same time the Council’s insistence on maintaining total independence and refusal of any sort of foreign support.
His Excellency the Minister welcomed the Board members confirming the distinguished status and reputation the Council has earned in Egypt and abroad due to the high expertise of its members in the field of Diplomacy and also in other various international domains, stressing that all Departments of the Ministry as well as its leadership are ready to present full support for the Council’s mission.
H.E. suggested engaging the youth in the Council’s different activities in a way that benefits national interest. In this regard, Ambassador Zahran outlined that interaction with the youth already exists, and that the Council participated in training programs for students of the Faculty of Economics & Political Science in Cairo University, and participates with Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Institute for Diplomatic Studies in a Conference titled “Egypt and the United Nations.. A Year of Contribution” scheduled for the 4th and 5th of December 2016. The Honorary Chairman Abdel Raouf Al-Reedy noted that the Council concluded a Cooperation Accord with the Public Library of Egypt, and that a conference on the strategic importance of the Red Sea as well as opportunities for economic investments in the area is to be held next January 2017. The meeting with the Minister included discussions of several Foreign Policy issues, as well as Egyptian relations with several countries in the region, and the future of the Egyptian – American relations after Donald Trump’s win of the Presidential elections.
