(Phoro Presidency Handout)
President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met Sunday with 11 newly appointed ambassadors to Egypt, according to a Sunday presidential statement.
The diplomats represent Brazil, Panama, and Colombia, in addition to Australia, the Vatican City, the Ukraine and Cyprus. New ambassadors from India, Pakistan, Brunei and Zambia were also welcomed by Al-Sisi.
Last February, 12 other ambassadors were appointed to their respective embassies in Cairo, including US Ambassador Robert S Beecroft.
Egypt’s diplomatic relations have been on the rise again after Al-Sisi’s election as president, and he has visited the US, Europe and Asia in the past year.
Egypt has also sent a new diplomatic representative to Israel, after not having an ambassador there since 2012.
The only two problematic embassies in Cairo are those of Qatar and Turkey, due to conflicts between Egypt and their respective countries, mostly over support for the Muslim Brotherhood.
In November 2013, Egypt expelled the Turkish ambassador. In March 2014, Egypt recalled its ambassador to Qatar, a move supported by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain who also recalled their own ambassadors to Qatar. The move came in objection to Qatari interference in Egyptian affairs.
