Zahi Hawass: France is the only country in the world that cares about and respects Egyptian civilization
Archaeologist Dr. Zahi Hawass said, “I am happy today to
attend this conference, and I am happy with the attendance of Egypt’s most
senior ambassador, King Ramses II, and I know very well the value of Ramses II
to the French.”
“When Ramses II came to France the first time, he was met
with great respect, as if he was a living king. We have a very good relationship
with France, which I believe is the only country in the world that cares about
and respects Egyptian civilization. When the French state appoints an
ambassador to Egypt, his first concern is to follow up on the Egyptian
antiquities,” Hawass added.
The famed Egyptologist’s remarks came during the symposium
of the Center for Middle East Studies (CEMO) in Paris, which was organized on
Friday, April 7, at the historic Hotel de Crillon overlooking the Pharaonic
obelisk, under the title “Egypt: The Dawn of Conscience”.
Egypt’s former Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Dr. Zahi
Hawass, and journalist Abdelrahim Ali, director of CEMO in Paris, spoke at the
symposium, which was also attended by Egyptian Ambassador to France Alaa
Youssef, a group of editors-in-chief of French newspapers, a number of French parliamentarians, as well as a number of senior politicians and Egyptologists.
The symposium was held on the sidelines of the Ramses and
the Gold of the Pharaohs Exhibition, which kicked off on Thursday, April 6, in
Paris and will continue for five months in the French capital.
