Egypt | EGY

The programme is geared towards young Egyptian attachés and is intended to give them comprehensive insights into Germany’s political, economic, civil society and cultural structures while deepening their understanding of democracy and social pluralism.

Workshops on negotiating skills and intercultural communication, as well as mediation training, will support their personal and professional development. The programme also includes visits to institutions engaged in Egypt as well as to the Federal Chancellery, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. A study trip to Munich will centre on aspects of federalism and economic relations between German enterprises and Egypt.

Focuses include current foreign and European policy as well as economic and energy policy. Alongside imparting professional knowledge and exchanging experiences, the programme seeks to build up a network in Europe.

 

 


Thanks to subsequent alumni activities, the participants are not only retained as valuable contacts, but also help to consolidate a network of friendly and trusting relations both with Training for International Diplomats and among themselves.

Report on the 8th Executive Seminar for Diplomats from Egypt by Mohamed Samir Elshahat Soheila Mahran (Egypt)

Nietzsche once said, “It is hard enough to remember my opinions, without also remembering my reasons for them!” This brilliant quote summarises the essence of the Diplomacy by Networking programme, in our view. It provided the opportunity for participants to voice their opinions in a fully transparent manner in order to reach their own conclusions on a dynamic range of topics in diplomacy and foreign policy. Furthermore, the inclusivity of the sessions offered allowed us to better comprehend the pillars of German foreign policy, culture and the various prospects of cooperation between Egypt and Germany.

 

The uniqueness of the programme was that it comprised multi-faceted intellectual, cultural and practical layers. The intellectual layer was enhanced through intense discussions with German diplomats about topics of common interest to Egypt and Germany.

 

Remarkably, some of these discussions occurred in the Permanent Representation of the Federal Republic of Germany to the European Union, NATO, the Bundeswehr Command and Staff College, and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

 

The cultural layer encompassed dense intercultural communication training courses and an opportunity to witness the richness of German culture through visits to Munich and Hamburg. On the one hand, Munich reflected the tremendous capabilities of the German people in the sphere of industry. A stark example was the BMW factory, which showed the degree of sophistication and precision of German industries through the use of advanced technologies and automated robots. Without a doubt, BMW has a reputation as one of the safest and most popular cars in the world. On the other hand, Hamburg mirrored the classiness of the German people. The concert at the Elbphilharmonie was indeed a one-of-a-kind experience that we will never forget. Further, we were stunned by the outstanding beauty of the Senate of the City of Hamburg from inside: a beautiful building that reflects the deep-rootedness of the city.

 

The practical layer came in the form of public speaking sessions, which ranged from preparing speeches for different occasions to writing press statements and handling press conferences. The instructors were keen to create different simulations for us in various contexts to deliver speeches and press statements. It is fair to say that delivering a speech with the right eye contact and body language is no longer quite so difficult.

 

Our four-week training programme in Germany was certainly an important milestone in our overall training programme as junior Egyptian diplomats taking our first steps in our career and shaping our professional future. Every aspect of the programme will remain forever etched into our memories.