Exclusive Interview with H.E.M. Mohamed Elbadri - Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Moscow

Your Excellency, what made you decide to follow a career in diplomacy? How long have you been working in foreign affairs?

I joined Egyptian diplomatic service in 1989. Along before I wanted to be a diplomat, as my father was a diplomat. Later I also discovered that I could have other professional interests, which I developed gradually over time and learned to balance them with my primary career focus.

Have you ever been in Russia before your official mission? What had you known about the country and its people before coming?

This is a tricky question. Aside from being a diplomat, I am also a scholar, a university professor and an author of several books on history. Thus it comes as no surprise that even before coming here I was very well acquainted with Russian history and literature. In fact my PhD dissertation was on Russian history. That is why I could say that, in a sense, I was also very well acquainted with Russia overall, its culture and politics.With that being said, even though I had never visited the country before my mission, I never felt separated from it.

  

How would you describe living in Moscow? Winter, lifestyle, events? What else makes it unique?

The German philosopher Hegel once said: “Every nation has its own spirit”, - and in that respect Russia has a very intense, distinct spirit of its own. In this country, wherever you go, you can practically smell history. Being here, even during the toughest winter times, you are constantly in touch with beauty. Personally, I do not have any problems with dealing with Russian winter, after all, I am, thankfully, neither Napoleon, nor Hitler. On the contrary, I rather like it.

What places of interest are worth visiting for foreigners, what places of interest can you recommend to visit to your compatriots?

I think I will not be original with my answer. I love visiting St Petersburg, especially the Hermitage. As far as this museum goes, I, as a historian, place a particular importance on what it represents from the historic point of view. There you can grasp the feeling, the idea of who the magnificent leaders, such as Peter the Great or Catherine the Great, truly were. To me, this city is one of the most glamorous cities of Europe.

I am also very much in love with the Byzantine time Orthodox architecture in this country. While it is Christian in itself, it is also very unique on its own and merely majestic. I can never resist visiting a cathedral here, as I always feel as if I get in touch with something exceptional in its character. I get a similar feeling going to Russian museums as well. However, it is the Kremlin that, among all other places, fascinates me the most, as I have the necessary knowledge to understand all the history that is behind it, and that understanding captivates me.

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