At the invitation of the Ambassador of Belarus in Egypt Sergei L. Terentiev, and in coordination with Fathy Toughan, a member of the Egyptian-Belarusian Inter-Governmental Committee, a delegation from the Egyptian Association of Graduates from Russian and Soviet Universities, headed by Sherif Gad, met this week with a Belarusian delegation to discuss boosting Egyptian-Belarusian relations. The Belarusian delegation included Iryna Varanovich, the director of the Tourism Department at the Ministry of Sports and Tourism; and Iryna Brynkevich, a representative of the Ministry's Marketing and Quality Department; in the presence of the Belarus Consul Igor Verigo; and Abdel-Salam Assi, professor of economics at the Delta Higher Institute of Computers. During the meeting, the Belarusian delegation presented a set of ideas to refresh bilateral relations, including opening the way for cooperation in tourism and receiving Egyptian tourism in Belarus, which is characterised by great potential and health resorts. Belarusian universities also welcome Egyptian scholars in all disciplines, which contributes to the ease of communication for the opening of direct airlines between Cairo and Minsk. For his part, Ambassador Terentiev welcomed the delegation of the Alumni Association, stressing the interest of Belarus in developing bilateral relations in all fields and that it is fully prepared to sign cooperation protocols with the competent authorities in Egypt, especially in light of the support of the Belarusian officials after the visit of President Lukashenko to Cairo and meeting with President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. Gad indicated that the two sides should be prepared to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the start of diplomatic relations between the two countries at the end of this year by organising a set of activities. These activities would include holding Belarus Cultural Days in a number of Egyptian universities and governorates through cooperation with the Organisation of Culture Palaces; activating the translation process into Arabic to get acquainted with classical and contemporary Belarusian literature; in addition to organising friendly matches between sporting clubs in Egypt and Belarus. Toughan, secretary-general of the Alumni Association, affirmed that Egyptian tourists will find in Belarus a lot of pleasure and recreation, especially in health resorts that have enormous potential at the cheapest prices. For his part, Consul Verigo welcomed Egyptian tourism, pointing out that the Belarus consulate works within the framework of the state's general policy that encourages tourism to Belarus and facilitates visa procedures. Varanovich also indicated that Belarusian tourism to Egypt ranks second among countries, which reflects the interest of Belarusian tourist in Egyptian resorts. Assi recalled his memories of studying in Belarus, stressing that Belarus is one of the most beautiful countries and that he was not only satisfied with studying at the university, but also toured the various cities there, and suggested ratifying an agreement between Mansoura University and Minsk University. Belarusian Ambassador Terentiev also welcomed the idea of concluding an agreement between Mansoura University and one of the universities of Belarus and expressed his desire to visit the Nile Delta city in order to see Dar Ibn Luqman Museum, where the French King Louis IX was captured.
