Kathmandu, 1 August: To mark the National Day of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Noha Hamdy ElGebaly, Egyptian Ambassador to Nepal hosted a reception here on July 28. Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun graced the event as a Chief Guest. The event was attended by ambassadors of various countries based in Kathmandu, other members of diplomatic corps, high ranking officials from the government of Nepal including Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Poudyal, senior journalists, and friends of Egypt, among others. Ambassador ElGebaly addressed the gathering. Here is the excerpt of her address: Thank you for joining us tonight to celebrate our national day; the 70th anniversary of 23 July revolution. The 23rd of July revolution is a historical and unique model for the solidarity of the people along with their national leaders and institutions for achieving aspirations towards freedom, development and prosperity despite serious domestic and international challenges. In this national eternal memory, we gratefully remember the icon of this revolution, late president "Mohamed Naguib" and pay tribute to its leader "Gamal Abdel Nasser" who answered the call of national duty and exerted all efforts to express the Egyptians' aspirations for a free homeland where social justice prevails. The aftermath of the 23rd of July revolution witnessed significant achievements; in the national, regional and international levels. On the national level, we managed to obtain our full and unconditional independence. There were also milestone economic and social achievements, including ambitious plans for economic development and social justice, civil rights including free access to education and health services for everybody. On the international level, Egypt has not only become an inspiration for other developing countries, but has also supported many countries in the world in their struggle for liberation, independence and development. This year the commemoration of the July Revolution coincides with the celebration of the 65th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Egypt and Nepal on July 16, 1957. Egypt was the first Arab and African country to establish diplomatic relations with Nepal and remains to be the only African country that has its residential mission in Kathmandu. I, personally, find our relationship with Nepal very inspiring. We do share a lot in common. Both Egypt and Nepal belong to the old world and were the land of ancient civilizations. Their spiritual and materialistic contribution to humanity cannot be overlooked Egypt is the country of the tallest man-made structure in the world for more than 4,500 years; the great pyramid, while Nepal is home to the Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain. Nepal is also the first stop on the Buddhist Circuit while Egypt is the first stop on the Holy Family Trail. In modern times, Egypt and Nepal were founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), and worked within this movement in support of national self-determination and independence of its members. The movement has continued to advocate for international cooperation, multilateralism, and national self­ determination, but it has also been increasingly vocal against the inequities of the world economic order. Egypt and Nepal continue to share the same goals and aspirations for a better future in terms of peace and prosperity. There is still a long way to go on the path for socioeconomic recovery, capacity building, and enhancing health systems, which I look forward to seeing our both countries working together on. As we continue to work together to further deepen cooperation between our two countries, especially by the exchange of high-level visits, we anticipate the 2nd Meeting of the bilateral consultation mechanism which will witness the signature of various agreements and new initiatives in different areas of mutual cooperation. We still have a long way to go in fully utilizing our partnership; Economic and trade ties are crucial for both sides, current trade balance between the two countries doesn't reflect our strong political and historical relations. I'm confident that many investment and business opportunities could to be availed in both countries and I'm committed to work together towards that end. Egypt, being a close friend and a reliable partner of Nepal, has been annually extending over 35 scholarship opportunities, workshops and agricultural training programs to Nepali students and trainees. We have over 100 Nepali students in Egypt enrolled at the top and oldest Universities in the Middle East. I am fully committed to elevate our cultural and people-to­ people bonds to keep the momentum in the relationship going. Over the past 65 years, Egypt and Nepal have maintained great level of dynamic coordination in international and multilateral fora. We have witnessed our partnership growing closer and more mutually beneficial. Marking 50 years of Egypt-Nepal diplomatic relations, On 16th July 2007, Nepal and Egypt signed a number of Memorandums of Understanding in various fields of cooperation including the establishment of a bilateral consultation mechanism between the Foreign Ministries in both countries. Almost a year later, Kathmandu hosted the first round of the bilateral consultation mechanism which was instrumental in promoting practical cooperation, in various fields,  particularly culture, tourism, education, capacity building and people-to-people exchange. In the last decade, the two sides had multiple B2B interactions enhanced by delegations exchange and signing several agreements that need to be fully activated. Recently, the Minister of Health & Population of Nepal, Bhawani Prasad Khapung, paid an official visit to Egypt to take part in the first African Medical Exhibition and Forum "Africa Health ExCon". I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate the honorable Minister Khapung and Nepal on fully vaccinating over 75% of the population against COVID-19, making events like this possible. Today's Egypt, under the leadership of President El Sisi, has adopted the ambitious strategy of "Egypt Vision 2030", thus implementing number of national mega projects that aim to enhance the competitiveness of the economy, create new jobs and attract foreign and domestic private investment, contributing to a new chapter in Egypt's economic progress. During the tough global challenges that the world has been facing for almost 3 years, these achievements are what make us confident of our ability as Egyptians to accomplish miracles through hard work for the best of our nation. We are all aware that the COP27 will be hosted this year in Sharm el-Sheikh and we look forward to welcoming the Honorable PM Deuba to the World Leaders' Summit which will take place at the conference on the 7th and 8th November. The climate action has never been more important. The world needs to demonstrate its continued commitment to curb emissions, enhance adaptation and deliver on climate finance. that COP27 should see us all coming together to renew our determination, take stock on where we stand on implementation, and lay out a clear path towards turning pledges into tangible action on the ground. Egypt is developing a number of flagship initiatives to upscale climate action in Africa and in developing countries. An initiative on agriculture and food security (in collaboration with FAQ) is envisioned to have global reach with a focus on African priorities. The success of such an initiative will build on high-level support from a wide range of state and non-state partners. I'd like to conclude by expressing my sincere wish for the relations between Egypt and Nepal to grow further in the many years to come. We remain inspired by the eternal spirit of the 23 of July revolution and, of course, our great and glorious past as we continue working hard to achieve comprehensive development within the framework of a national strategic vision based on shared values, shared goals and common interests between Egypt and the rest of the world.