“Many Egyptians eat Australian merchandise with out even figuring out they’re Australian,” stated Australia’s Ambassador to Egypt, Axel Wabenhorst, throughout a reception in Cairo celebrating Australia Day on the Ambassador’s Residence on Monday, 27 October.
“There’s an excellent likelihood that the fava beans that you just eat had been grown in Australia. In truth, over half of Egypt’s fava beans come from there. Even the kebda (Liver) you take pleasure in is likely to be made with Australian liver, and the meat you discover in lots of positive eating places and supermarkets is Australian,” the ambassador added.
The ambassador’s remarks got here as a part of a broader reflection on 75 years of diplomatic relations between Egypt and Australia, which began in 1950 when Australia opened its first embassy within the Center East and North Africa in Cairo.
In the course of the celebration, the ambassador highlighted Australia’s vibrant multiculturalism, noting that “individuals have come from each land on earth, together with Egypt, to name Australia house.” He added that 60,000 Australian residents had been born in Egypt and greater than 100,000 determine as being of Egyptian heritage.
“Egyptians are a well-established and revered neighborhood. Two Australian ministers and a Supreme Court docket decide have Egyptian roots,” he famous.
The ambassador additionally spotlighted Egyptian-Australian cultural figures corresponding to Joseph Tawadros, who gained the Australian Recording Business Affiliation Music (ARIA) Award seven instances, and who headlines this yr’s Cairo Worldwide Jazz Pageant.
Wabenhorst celebrated the rising cultural alternate between the 2 nations, saying, “Three main Egyptology exhibitions in Australia final yr fueled Australians’ fascination with historical Egypt, resulting in an increase in tourism.”
“And simply final August, a outstanding collaboration occurred when Australian composer Lee Bradshaw joined Egyptian conductor Nayer Nagui for a symphonic live performance,” he added.
Discussing commerce and funding, Wabenhorst famous that “Egypt is now Australia’s second-largest buying and selling accomplice in Africa, with bilateral commerce valued at USD 900 million (EGP 42 billion) yearly.”
Visitors on the celebration loved Australian lamb offered by Meat & Livestock Australia, ready by licensed Egyptian grasp chef Tarek Ibrahim, in a gesture that, just like the night itself, symbolized the enduring taste of friendship between Egypt and Australia.
Egypt’s Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Alaa Farouk, invited Australian buyers to increase their investments in Egypt, highlighting the federal government’s incentives and versatile financial insurance policies that encourage personal sector participation.
In accordance with Farouk, the ministry is working to ease the entry of Egyptian agricultural exports into Australian markets to strengthen commerce and mutual cooperation between the 2 international locations.
Marking 75 years of diplomatic relations, each international locations are working to draw Australian funding to Egypt in numerous sectors, together with clear vitality, agriculture, and expertise.