The Egyptian ambassador here celebrated the presidential election that took place in his country this month during a reception for Egypt’s 62nd National Day at his residence in Seongbuk-dong, Seoul, on Monday.

Ambassador Hany Selim said that the recent presidential election in his country marks the beginning of “a new Egypt,” as he hosted Choi Sung-joo, ambassador for international security affairs; members of the foreign diplomatic community; and other VIPs at his residence in Seoul.

“Apart from a new ambassador Egypt itself is celebrating its National Day this year as a ‘new Egypt.’ A few weeks ago, the Egyptian people not only democratically elected their new president for Egypt but indeed accomplished a major phase in the building of the new Egypt and its third republic, bringing to the world a major Arab and African democracy,” Selim said.

Egypt’s former military chief, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, led the coup d’etat that toppled Egypt’s first democratically elected civilian president, Mohamed Morsi. El-Sisi was sworn in as president on June 8, 2014.

Egypt and Korea established consular relations in 1961. Thirty-four years later, in April 1995, the two countries established full-fledged diplomatic relations. Selim arrived here to head up Egypt’s South Korea embassy in October 2013.

South Korea’s trade relationship with Egypt consists mostly of its imports of natural gas. In 2011, South Korea imported nearly $1 billion worth of natural gas from Egypt.

(ephilip2014@heraldcorp.com)