Mar 11th, 2021
Professor . Ahmed Ghellab Mohamed, President of Aswan University stated that within the framework of close cooperation between Aswan University and Portuguese universities, Aswan University participated today.
In the symposium on cultural relations between Egypt and Portugal in the Supreme Council of Culture, which was organized by the Supreme Council for Culture in cooperation with the Foreign Cultural Relations Sector within the “cultural relations” initiative, during which the Egyptian-Portuguese relations were celebrated.
Dr. Ahmed Ghellab, President of Aswan University, added that the session was moderated by Dr. Hisham Azmi, the General Secretary of the Supreme Council of Culture, who emphasized the joint cooperation between Portugal and Egypt in all levels and fields.
Ambassador Manuela Franco, Ambassador of Portugal in Cairo, mentioned the history of diplomatic relations between Egypt and Portugal, the periods of contact (since 1942) and the periods of interruption (the 1960s to Nasser’s role in supporting African independence movements in Angola and Mozambique) and the current close relations.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Adel El-Alfi, the Egyptian ambassador to Portugal, presented a report on the recent achievements of the Egyptian-Portuguese relations, the reciprocal government visits between the two parties and the importance of signing cooperation protocols in all fields, especially his confirmation that the Egyptian-Portuguese relations witnessed a strong momentum after the exchange of presidential visits for the first time in the history of relations. Between the two countries, when President El-Sisi visited Portugal in 2016 and Portuguese President Marcelo de Sousa visited Egypt in 2018. Ambassador Adel El-Alfy praised the cooperation Egypt is witnessing in the field of Portuguese language teaching, referring to the visit of Dr. Ahmed Ghellab Mohamed, President of Aswan University, and Dr. Majed Al-Jabali, President Department of Portuguese Language in Aswan in 2019.
Dr. Katrina Bello, Professor of Islamic Philosophy at the American University, referred to the Islamic history of Portugal and the exchange of Portuguese scholars with the American University in Cairo.
Dr. Majed Al-Jabali – Head of the Portuguese Language Department at Aswan University reviewed the geopolitical position of the Portuguese language and the possible aspects of cooperation between Egyptian and Portuguese cultural institutions, and provided an overview of the stages of introducing the Portuguese language and its literature in Egyptian universities, starting with its introduction as a second language in the Faculty of Al-Alsun at Ain Shams University during the Deanship of Professor Dr. Makarem Al-Ghamry and passing through the establishment of the first BA in Portuguese Language and Literature at Aswan University in 2015 until the graduation of three batches, and the transfer of the experience to Al-Azhar University and the last celebration in 2019 with the opening of the Portuguese Language Department at the Faculty of Al-Alsun at Ain Shams University.
In response to the question of a number of journalists about the Portuguese interest in the Arabic language, Dr. Majid Al-Jabali explained that Arab features are present in Portugal and the names of its cities, especially in the south, in the Ojarvi region.