On July 17, H. E. Mr. Nader Saad, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the Republic of Bulgaria,

hosted a reception on the occasion of Egypt’s national holiday. The event took place in the "Opal" Hall of the Ramada Sofia Hotel and was attended by numerous guests, including officials, ambassadors, diplomats, businesspeople, cultural figures, journalists, and friends of Egypt.

E. Mr. Nader Saad addressed the attendees with a welcoming speech, in which he stated:

It is an honor and pleasure to welcome you all, as we celebrate the 73rd anniversary of the July revolution of 1952. The revolution which crowned the struggle of the Egyptian people to eradicate colonialism and established the first republic of our country.

Allow me please to begin my speech this evening by referring to some of the most significant and latest developments in the bilateral relations between Egypt and Bulgaria.

Two months ago, His Excellency Mr. Georg Georgiev, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, made an official visit to Egypt. During this visit, which was his first to a country in Africa and the Middle East, Minister Georgiev held very fruitful discussions and bilateral talks with the Egyptian Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, prominent heads of Parliamentary committees, and he also participated in the Egyptian Bulgarian business forum, alongside the Egyptian Deputy Prime Minister for Industry. The forum was attended by about 170 businessmen from both sides. 

It is worth mentioning that this business forum was the first of its kind, since the forum which was held in Cairo, on the sidelines of the important visit by His Excellency President Rumen Radev to Egypt in March 2019. 

I also state with happiness, that the latest round of the bilateral consultations’ mechanism, which was held in Cairo in April this year, was the first gathering of that mechanism since the year 2020. 

And here we come to the jewel in the crown, as the trade volume between Egypt and Bulgaria broke the record of all times, reaching unprecedented figure of 1.8 billion US dollars in 2024, with a 50% increase in one year, compared to the year 2023. 

No wonder then, that Egypt is still keeping its exclusive place as the largest trade partner of Bulgaria in the Middle East, Africa and the Arab world. 

Ladies and gentlemen,

In April 2023, Egypt nominated Professor Khaled El-Anany for the position of Director General of UNESCO, during the elections scheduled to be held in Paris next October. 

Our prominent candidate enjoys the full support of the African Union, the League of Arab States, and many other countries of the UNESCO Executive Board that have publicly endorsed him.

Let me here express our thanks and gratitude to all countries which support the Egyptian candidate, and particularly I thank the Government of Bulgaria for its public endorsement of Professor El-Anany. 

Excellencies,

Honorable guests,                                                                                        

Ladies and gentlemen,

As for the situation in the Middle East, the Palestinians in Gaza are enduring what may be the most miserable phase of their history, with the death toll exceeding 57 thousand, nearly 70% of them are women and children.

Moreover, for nearly 11 weeks, the Israeli authorities completely blocked the entry of life-saving international aid to Gaza. 

And after Israel has created its own mechanism of aid distribution, which according to the UN contravenes basic humanitarian principles, reaching the aid distribution hubs has become a life-risking endeavor for Palestinians.

The aid centers in Gaza have turned into death traps, in which Palestinians are killed and injured while seeking food and water.

It is unacceptable and inhuman that the civilians are risking their lives for food. As the UN Secretary-General António Guterres rightly said, and I quote: "The search for food must never be a death sentence."

The people have been displaced again and again – and are now confined to less than one-fifth of Gaza’s land.

Even these shrinking spaces are under threat. Bombs and rockets are falling on tents, on families, on those with nowhere left to run.

Egypt has been exerting tireless efforts since the eruption of the war in October 2023, to reach a permanent ceasefire, release all the Israeli hostages, and put an end to one of the most horrific human suffering in modern history of the Palestinian people. And we hope our efforts will succeed.

Honorable guests,                                                                                         Ladies and gentlemen,

Once again, I would like to thank you all for being here with us in this special day to celebrate 73 years of the Egyptian revolution, and noting that this year 2025 marks 99 years of diplomatic relations between Egypt and Bulgaria. 

We can not wait to see you again in July next year, for THE CENTENNIAL, as we will celebrate 100 years of friendship, cooperation and success.

LONG LIVE BULGARIA!

LONG LIVE EGYPT! 

It is to be noticed that the embassy of Egypt brought an actual size replica of Rosetta Stone, discovered in 1799, which is the most famous and important stone in the history of Egypt. This stone was the key to decipher the symbols of Egyptian hieroglyphs. The French famous scientist Jean-François Champollion managed to decipher the symbols pf the stone after 20 years of tireless efforts and research. The replica of the Rosetta Stone attracted great interest among the attendees, with many taking photos with it.

The warm and welcoming atmosphere created by the hosts made guests truly enjoy the dishes specially prepared for the national holiday, many of which were typical of Egyptian cuisine. This ambiance also encouraged lively conversations about history and current topics of the day.

The photos are courtesy of the Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

Top: H. E. Mr. Nader Saad, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the Republic of Bulgaria. Bottom: Moments from the reception