Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government, A.H.M.H. Abayarathna, has been appointed as the President of the Sri Lanka–Egypt Parliamentary Friendship Association for the Tenth Parliament of Sri Lanka.  

Deputy Minister Muneer Mulaffer was elected as the Secretary, while Member of Parliament Ambika Samivel was elected as the Treasurer of the Association, during the revival meeting of the Sri Lanka–Egypt Parliamentary Friendship Association held on Tuesday (07) at the Parliament of Sri Lanka under the patronage of the Speaker, Jagath Wickramaratne.  

Delivering the welcome address, Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne emphasized that Parliamentary Friendship Associations play a vital role in strengthening bilateral relations through Parliamentary diplomacy by providing Members of Parliament with a valuable platform to engage with their counterparts, exchange experiences, and enhance cooperation between the two countries.

The Speaker further noted that Sri Lanka and Egypt have enjoyed longstanding and cordial relations founded on mutual respect, friendship and cooperation, expressing confidence that the revived Association would serve as an effective mechanism for strengthening Parliamentary ties and exploring new avenues of cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

Addressing the gathering, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Sri Lanka, Adel Ibrahim, highlighted the longstanding friendship between Sri Lanka and Egypt and emphasized the importance of further enhancing bilateral cooperation across a wide range of sectors, including political, economic, cultural, educational and tourism exchanges. He expressed confidence that the Parliamentary Friendship Association would make a meaningful contribution towards further strengthening the relations between the two countries.

According to a Parliament statement, prior to the meeting, Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne and Ambassador Adel Ibrahim held a cordial discussion at the Speaker’s official chamber, where they exchanged views on further enhancing the longstanding friendship and cooperation between Sri Lanka and Egypt. (Newswire)

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Two newly appointed Ambassadors to Sri Lanka presented their credentials to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat today.

Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt Adel Ibrahim and Ambassador of Japan ISOMATA Akio presented their credentials to the President. 

According to the President’s Media Division (PMD), they also paid courtesy calls on the President following the presentation of credentials. (Newswire)

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Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry has embarked on an official visit to Egypt at the invitation of his Egyptian Counterpart Badr Abdelatty.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Minister Ali Sabry will be in Egypt from 07-09 August 2024.

During the visit, he will hold bilateral discussions with his counterpart at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cairo and also meet with the Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade of Egypt. 

Minister Sabry is also expected to have discussions at the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce and meet with several other dignitaries, to strengthen the multifaceted relations between the two countries.

The bilateral visit is expected to further consolidate the longstanding ties between Sri Lanka and Egypt. (Newswire)

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Former Indian diplomat KP Fabian has said that Egypt conferring Prime Minister Narendra Modi with its highest state honour showed that both the nations are looking forward to strengthening the bilateral ties with each other.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi bestowed the ‘Order of the Nile’ upon PM Modi in Cairo on Sunday.

“Yes as you know Egypt’s President El Sisi was a chief guest on our Republic Day this year. And, right now our Prime Minister has gone there for a state visit and is being awarded the highest state honour of the country. It means, Egypt and India both are looking forward to strengthening and deepening the bilateral ties with each other,” Fabian told ANI.

The PM’s visit also highlighted that Egypt’s relationship is very important to India, he added.

He also spoke on the ongoing Russian crisis and said that as per the agreement, Wagner mercenary forces Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin will move to Belarus and there will be no further proceedings against him or his mercenaries.

“It is an agreement, that Prigozhin will move to Belarus, and that there will be no further proceedings against him or his mercenaries, or all the mercenaries will register with the military,” Fabian said.

On Saturday Prigozhin decided to halt his march to Moscow after the Belarusian president stated he was in talks with Prigozhin about an agreement to “de-escalate tensions.”

Taking to Twitter, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus wrote, “At 9 p.m. tonight, the Presidents spoke again by phone. The President of Belarus Lukashenko informed the President of Russia about the results of negotiations w/ the leader of the Wagner Group. President Putin thanked his counterpart for the work done.”

On being asked about Russian democracy, the former Indian envoy said, “Well, Russia is not exactly a democracy… you know what I mean. But it has its own type of government but in any case, the present crisis has been resolved.”

He further added, “Russian President Putin has brought it to a close instead of Prigozhin’s forces coming to Moscow because they couldn’t have come to Moscow in any case unless there was a split in the Russian military, which was not there. So, this small force should have been annihilated but that means Russians shedding Russian blood which obviously Putin did not want.”

On Saturday morning, Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, in a Telegram post, announced that his men had crossed the border from Ukraine into southern Russia and were ready to go “all the way” against the Russian military, TASS News Agency reported.

He said he and his men would destroy anyone who stood in their way. “But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way,” he said, adding, “We are moving forward and will go until the end.”

However, later, as soon as the armed mutiny came to an end, Russia also announced that the charges against Wagner Chief Prigozhin would be dropped.

The Kremlin spokesman Dmitri S Peskov said Prigozhin will go to Belarus, and the fighters who rebelled with him would not be prosecuted by law given their “service at the front.”

“Wagner fighters who did not participate in the mutiny can sign contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense,” New York Times quoted Peskov as saying. (ANI)

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India is providing Egypt with a credit line of unspecified value, Egyptian Supply Minister Ali El-Mosilhy said, in the latest support from an ally for the North African nation’s troubled economy.

Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-06-12/egypt-says-india-is-providing-credit-line-in-boost-to-economy#xj4y7vzkg

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A statue of Buddha has been discovered in Egypt’s ancient seaport of Berenice on the Red Sea, shedding light on trade ties with India under the Roman empire.

A Polish-US mission discovered the statue “dating back to the Roman era while digging at the ancient temple in Berenice”, an antiquities ministry statement said on Wednesday.

The find has “important indications over the presence of trade ties between Egypt and India during the Roman era”, the head of Egypt’s supreme antiquities council Mostafa al-Waziri said.

The statue, with part of its right side and its right leg missing, measures 71 centimetres (28 inches) in height and portrays Buddha with a halo around his head and a lotus flower by his side.

Waziri said Berenice was one of the largest seaports in Roman-era Egypt, and was often the destination for ships from India laden with spices, semi-precious stones, textiles and ivory.

Egypt has unveiled many major archaeological discoveries in recent years, amid attempts to revive its vital tourism industry after years of political unrest and the Covid pandemic.

However, critics say the flurry of excavations has prioritised finds that grab media attention over hard academic research.

The crown jewel in the government’s plans is the long-delayed inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum at the foot of the pyramids in Giza.

The government plans to attract 30 million tourists a year by 2028, up from 13 million before the pandemic. (NDTV)

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