Aswan University President Prof/ Ahmed Ghallab Mohamed declared that in frame of close cooperation between Aswan University and Portuguese universities, today Aswan University participated in a symposium on cultural relations between Egypt and Portugal in the Supreme Council of Culture which organized by the Supreme Council for Culture, in cooperation with the External Cultural Relations Sector, as part of “cultural relations” initiative, during it the Egyptian-Portuguese relations were celebrated.
Aswan University president Prof/ Ahmed Ghallab added that the session was conducted by Dr/ Hisham Azmi_ 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, periods of contact (since 1942) and periods of interruption (1960s for 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 in 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 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 that Egypt is witnessing in the field of teaching Portuguese language, referring to the visit of Prof/ Ahmed Ghallab Mohamed_ Aswan University President, and Dr. Majed Al-Jibali, President of 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-Jibali – Head of Portuguese Language Department at Aswan University reviewed the geopolitical position of the Portuguese language and the possible aspects of cooperation between the Egyptian and Portuguese cultural institutions, and gave an overview of the stages of adding the Portuguese language and its literature in Egyptian universities, starting with adding it as a second language in Faculty of Al-Alsun at Ain Shams University during the Deanship of Prof. Makarem Al-Ghamry and passing through creating the first BA in Portuguese Language and Literature at Aswan University in 2015 until the graduation of three batches, and transfering the experience to Al-Azhar University and the last celebration in 2019 with the opening of the Portuguese Language Department at 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-Jibali explained that Arab features are present in Portugal and the names of its cities, especially in the south, in Ojarvi region. The name of place means west as a reference of western Andalusia and the city of Ciovice, the ruins of an integrated Arab-Andalusian city.