Veteran diplomat Badr Abdelatty takes helm of Egypt's expanded Foreign Ministry

Successor to Sameh Shoukry has decades of experience in the ministry, as an ambassador and representative to the EU and Nato

Badr Abdelatty speaking at a press conference on the Israel-Hamas conflict in Brussels in November. Sunniva Rose / The National

Veteran diplomat Badr Abdelatty has been appointed as Egypt's new Minister of Foreign Affairs, succeeding Sameh Shoukry who held the position since 2014.

Mr Abdelatty was sworn in on Wednesday at a ceremony at the country's New Administrative Capital.

Born in 1966, Mr Abdelatty has had an extensive career in the Egyptian Foreign Service spanning three decades.

He has held several key positions, most recently serving as Egypt's ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg, and the country's representative to EU and Nato.

Before this, he was ambassador to Germany from 2015 to 2019. He has also served as deputy assistant foreign minister and the ministry's official spokesman, and was the director of the public diplomacy department between 2013 and 2015.

From 2012 to 2013, Mr Abdelatty was the deputy assistant foreign minister for EU affairs and western Europe, and was the national co-ordinator for the Union for the Mediterranean. He was also the deputy head of mission at the Egyptian embassy in Brussels from 2008 to 2012.

Mr Abdelatty's diplomatic experience extends to other roles within the foreign ministry, including director of Palestinian affairs between 2007 and 2008, counsellor at the Egyptian embassy in Washington as well as serving as first secretary at the Foreign Minister's office handling African affairs and the Middle East Peace Process.

The new foreign minister was a member of the Egyptian delegation at the 1996 Cairo Economic Conference for the Middle East and North Africa, and a third secretary at the Egyptian embassy in Tel Aviv, handling Israeli internal affairs and the Middle East Peace Process between 1991 and 1995.

He obtained his doctorate in international relations from Cairo University in 2003, after earning a master's degree in the same field in 1996 and a bachelor's degree in political science in 1987.

Outside his diplomatic roles, Mr Abdelatty was a researcher at Al Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo between 1987 and 1989 and a lecturer at Nasser Military Academy in Cairo. He has written several articles and publications on international politics.

His appointment comes at a pivotal moment in Egypt-EU relations, as the two sides recently elevated their ties to a “strategic partnership” following the signing of a comprehensive trade and migration deal in March. The deal, which includes €7.4 billion in financing for Egypt until 2027, is contingent on greater co-operation on migration issues.

As Foreign Minister, he will also be responsible for addressing issues related to immigration and Egyptian expatriates following the ministry's merger with the Ministry of Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates' Affairs. He will manage Egypt's international relations at a crucial juncture, as the country seeks to strengthen its partnerships and navigate complex regional dynamics.