Dr. Hassan El-Nomany, President of Sohag University, and Mr. Mohamed Zaim El-Khalis Nasution, Deputy Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia in Cairo, witnessed the activities of the Egyptian-Indonesian Cultural Day, which was organized by the Center of International Relations and International Cooperation at the University, in the presence of Dr. Abdel Nasser Youssef and Dr. Khaled Omran, Vice Presidents of the University, and Dr. Rahmat Aminj Lasm, Advisor to the Head of the Media, Cultural and Social Department.
Dr. Ashraf Okasha, the Center’s Executive Director, and a group of faculties’ deans, staff members, and students attended the event at the International Conference Center on the new campus.
At the beginning of his speech, Al-Nomany praised the joint cooperation with the brotherly state of Indonesia, extending his thanks to Ambassador Lotfi Raouf, Ambassador of the State of Indonesia in Egypt, and Mr. Muhammad Zaim, expressing his happiness at the university hosting this special day.
During the event, we will learn about the culture, history, and civilization of a country dear to the hearts of Egyptians, the Republic of Indonesia.
He emphasized that Egyptian-Indonesian relations are solid, based on peace and mutual respect, which reflects the depth of the ties between the two countries.
Al-Nomany emphasized that these relations are not only political, diplomatic, or commercial, but also extend to include culture and scientific cooperation, explaining that the university, as an academic institution in the heart of Upper Egypt, seeks to strengthen the bonds of scientific cooperation with Indonesian universities in many fields such as medicine, literature, agriculture, and others. Exchange of expertise in these specializations, in addition to the fact that there are many Indonesian international students studying at the university. He extended his thanks to the University’s International Relations Center for organizing this cultural day and for the efforts it makes to consolidate research and academic relations with various countries.
From his part, Mr. Mohammed Zaim Al-Khalis expressed his thanks and appreciation to Dr. Hassan Al-Nomany for the warm reception during his first visit to the university, stressing his country’s aspiration for further joint cooperation with the university, especially in the field of scientific exchange and providing student scholarships to study at Indonesian universities.
Dr. Rahmat Aminj expressed his happiness to be at Sohag University and among its students, praising the student cooperation between the two sides, which was embodied in the artistic segments and performances about the Egyptian and Indonesian heritage which was admired and appreciated by all attendees, he presented a poem he composed that illustrated the depth of the relationship between Egypt and Indonesia.
He also held a general information competition about Indonesia for the university students, and prizes were distributed to the winners.
Dr. Ashraf Okasha pointed out that the artistic and cultural performances we witnessed today, representing Indonesian and Egyptian heritage, are not just a celebration, but rather a true embodiment of the values of cooperation and cultural rapprochement.
He explained that the center aims to strengthen the university’s international relations, expand horizons of academic and research cooperation, and provide numerous scholarship opportunities for the astaff members and students.
The number of scholarships announced so far has reached nearly 80, which has a direct impact on the quality of education, scientific research and international experience of the university’s members.
The ceremony began with the national anthems of both Egypt and Indonesia, followed by a blessed recitation of verses from the Holy Quran. A
documentary film prepared by the Media Center about the Arab Republic of Egypt was also shown. The Indonesian delegation included Mr. Muhammad Arif Ramadan, Second Secretary of the Media, Cultural and Social Section, and Ms. Rani Eka Wulandari, Communications Officer at the Embassy.
At the end of the ceremony,
Dr. Hassan Al-Nomany and Mr. Mohammed Zaim exchanged gifts and commemorative shields and Certificates of appreciation were also presented to students who achieved advanced positions in the student activities, whether in competitions and summit activities or at the university level.
Then, a number of commemorative photos were taken with the attendees.