The Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched on Sunday the annual celebration of the International Day of La Francophonie, which falls on 20 March of every year, and held a reception on this occasion at the headquarters of the Diplomatic Club, in coordination with the International Organization of La Francophonie and the group of ambassadors of francophone countries accredited in Cairo.
The reception is at the head of a series of cultural and artistic activities that will be organized throughout the month to celebrate Francophonie Day.
The ceremony was attended by Ambassador Fatima Al-Zahra Atman, Personal Representative of the President of the Republic to the Permanent Council of the Francophonie, Ambassador Hatem Al-Atawi, Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for Political and Regional Groupings, and Counselor Amr Abdallah, Director of Francophone Affairs.
Ambassador Yvonne Amergayan, Director of the Regional Office of the International Organization of la Francophonie in the Middle East, representing Louise Mushikiwabo, Secretary General of the Organization participated in the event , as well as a large group of diplomatic corps accredited in Cairo and a number of media and art academics concerned with the cultural activity of Francophone in Egypt.
In her speech on this occasion, Ambassador Fatima Al-Zahra Atman was keen to highlight the long-standing values on which the Francophonie march is based, foremost among them the values of dialog, solidarity and respect for cultural and human diversity on which the founding fathers of the Francophone movement relied fifty years ago to launch the Francophone March of Action.
It has succeeded in using the language used by a large group of people as a driving force in the path of progress and development in all its economic, political, cultural and social dimensions.
Ambassador Fatima Al-Zahra also highlighted the importance Egypt attaches to deepening its relations with the international organization, referring in this context to the speech of the President of the Republic at the opening of the second edition of the Francophone scientific event last October, during which he stressed his support for the Agency’s growing activity in the Egyptian university, praising the opening by the Agency of a national office at Cairo University headquarters and expressing interest in Egypt’s interaction with the Francophone activity in various fields, especially in the scientific and knowledge fields.
She also highlighted the praise of the President of the Republic for the important role played by the University of Sanjour, an affiliate of the organization whose headquarters Egypt hosts, in preparing young African cadres to participate in developing development strategies in their country.
