Madbouly: Opening of GEM will be attended by kings, presidents

CAIRO - 27 August 2019: On Aug. 27, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly presided the first meeting of the Higher Committee, formed under the supervision of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi to set scenarios of the opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum.

The meeting was attended by Minister of Antiquities Khaled al-Anani, Minister of Culture Inas Abdel Dayem, Minister of Tourism Rania al-Mashat, Governor of Giza Ahmed Rashed, and officials of a number of concerned authorities.

At the outset of the meeting, Madbouly stressed that the government is interested in changing the face of Old Cairo (Ancient Cairo) and in developing it.

Madbouly also pointed out that the government is not only focused on completing the New Administrative City, but is also working on the completion of the Grand Egyptian Museum establishment and the development of the surrounding area(s).

Furthermore, the prime minister clarified that the government aims to develop the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, and Khedive Cairo, stressing that the political leadership attaches great importance to the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, as it presents a civilized image of Egypt to the entire world.

The prime minister added that members of the committee include several ministers and officials from the concerned entities, pointing out that the committee is working to choose the most appropriate day for the opening, to organize the event that is set to run for several days, and to hire specialized international companies to organize a global scale opening befitting the status of Egypt and the presidents and kings attending the event.

For his part, Minister Anani said that the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum will be the largest celebration organized by Egypt in the recent period, given the interest of the whole world in this event.

The opening is expected to be attended by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi as well as kings, princes, presidents, heads of international organizations, and senior officials from all around the world.

Towards the end of the meeting, the prime minister stressed the necessity of efficient coordination between the ministries and the concerned authorities to organize an impressive opening, reflecting the civilization of ancient Egypt, and the progress of modern Egypt in light of the current efforts exerted by the government to develop various fields.

Finally, Madbouly stated that this celebration is a great opportunity to promote tourism and instructed the officials to start preparing the list of guests in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.