In an exceptional visit, Russian astronaut, Mikhail Kornienko arrived in Egypt on the sidelines of the ceremony sponsored by the Ross Atom Foundation in cooperation with the Russian Cultural Center in Cairo, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the Egyptian Space Agency on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the first spaceflight by Yuri Gagarin.
Egypt’s Ministry of Youth and Sports had also organized a press conference for Kornienko at the Olympic Center in Maadi, which was attended by the Minister of Youth and Sports Dr. Ashraf Sobhy, Russian Ambassador in Cairo Georgiy Borisenko, CEO of the Egyptian Space Agency Mohamed El-Qousi, and director of the Russian cultural center Alex Tiffanyan.
The event was also attended by delegations from the Russian community in Egypt, members of the Association of graduates from Soviet and Russian universities, the Egyptian-Russian Friendship Association, members of the Russian diplomatic mission in Egypt as well as the families of the poets Mahmoud Tawfik and Abdul Rahman Khamisi, who composed poems about Gagarin in the 1960s.
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Russian cultural center Alex Tiffanyan[/caption]
For his part, Kornienko expressed his happiness over his presence in Egypt and seeing the pyramids from the sky during his space trip.
The astronaut noted that he fulfilled his dream of seeing them from the earth and touching them with his hand, for Egypt with its ancient history, is a tourist's dream because it possesses ancient antiquities and civilization.
He also expressed his confidence that Egypt will go to the moon, and then to Mars, noting that science will help humanity achieve more achievements.
Sobhy emphasized that cooperation with the Russian side covered many directions.
The minister expressed his optimism for the future of Egyptian-Russian relations, which receive support from the political leadership in both countries.
On the other hand, Borisenko welcomed the astronaut noting that the warm welcome Kornienko received reminded him of the welcome Gagarin, the first astronaut in history, had received in Egypt nearly 60 years ago when President Abdel Nasser awarded him the Nile necklace.
Tiffanyan expressed his happiness with the implementation of his proposal to invite a Russian astronaut to Egypt, which coincided with the celebration of Russia's role in space exploration.
Moreover, Sherif Gad, President of the Association of Graduates from Russian and Soviet Universities, extended congratulations on behalf of the graduates, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the first space flight.
He stressed that Kornienko visit is a historical event that was contributed to by the Ross Atom Foundation, which supervises El Dabaa project.
The ceremony featured a performance by the Russian community troupe in Egypt and a photo exhibition, which took place within the framework of cooperation between the Moscow State Museum and the Russian Cultural Center in Cairo.
Kornienko, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Russian ambassador, and the CEO of the Egyptian Space Agency, were honored at the end of the ceremony.
Contributed by Yara Sameh
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