Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, held a meeting with Serbian Minister of Culture Nikola Selaković in Belgrade, attended by Ambassador Basel Salah, Egypt's Ambassador to Serbia, Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, and Deputy Ambassador Ibrahim Hamza.
During the meeting, Sherif Fathy reviewed the features of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities' current strategy, launched under the slogan “Unmatched Diversity,” which aims to highlight the diversity of Egypt's tourism assets, types and products and to make Egypt the world's leading tourist destination in terms of this diversity.
He pointed to the approaching official opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum on the coming July 3, expressing his hope to organize an international Egyptology conference at the museum and to invite archaeologists from Serbia and other countries around the world to take part.
The meeting also discussed opportunities for cooperation in training and capacity building for antiquities workers, through the exchange of expertise in excavation, restoration and museums, and the organization of scientific events, exhibitions and workshops.
For his part, the Serbian Minister of Culture affirmed his country's interest in strengthening cooperation with Egypt in the fields of culture and antiquities, expressing his hope to organize an exhibition of Egyptian antiquities at the National Museum of Serbia as part of Expo 2027, which Belgrade is hosting and which is expected to attract about 3 million visitors. He also expressed his country's readiness to organize exhibitions of Serbian heritage in Egypt in support of cultural exchange between the two sides.
The Serbian minister expressed his admiration for the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, describing it as the museum closest to his heart because of the rare artifacts it contains, such as animal mummies, hippopotamus statues and other treasures that reflect the ancient roots of Egyptian civilization.
For his part, Sherif Fathy reviewed the ministry's efforts to organize archaeological exhibitions abroad as an effective tool for promoting Egypt globally, pointing to the success of the “On Top of the Pyramid” exhibition currently being held in Shanghai, which has exceeded 2 million visitors, and renewing his welcome for organizing an exhibition of Egyptian antiquities in Serbia in the coming period.
At the end of the meeting, Fathy extended an official invitation to the Serbian Minister of Culture to visit Egypt, which was welcomed, especially as the Serbian minister has visited Egypt twice before, most recently in 2021, when he visited the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.
