Egyptians in UAE tell of pride as nations mark 50 years of friendship

Residents express gratitude for opportunities afforded to them in the Emirates

Dr Essam Atta, associate director of business development and medical affairs At Thumbay Health Group, with his wife and daughters, who were all born in the UAE. All photos provided by subjects

Egyptian architect Marwan Amr, 32, said the UAE offers an ideal platform for business success.

Suzan Faheem, 43, was born and raised in the UAE, and cherishes her life here as well as her Egyptian roots.

Elsayed Bekhit, media professor at Zayed University, with his daughter.

Egyptian residents have paid tribute to their "second home" of the UAE as the two nations prepare to mark a golden era of friendship.

More than 400,000 Egyptians live in the Emirates, with many building careers, raising families and forging friendships over several decades.

They embody the fraternal spirit between the countries, which will be celebrated at a three-day festival in Cairo to mark 50 years of close ties.

The golden jubilee will be held under the slogan "Egypt and the UAE — one heart" and will take place from Wednesday to Friday this week.

UAE is 'part of my soul'

Elsayed Bekhit, 59, a media professor at Zayed University, moved to Al Ain from Egypt 25 years ago, and has witnessed first-hand the remarkable rise of the UAE on the regional and international stage.

“The progress across all sectors happened very quickly and in terms of education, the UAE’s universities are now among the most prestigious,” he said.

“The country and its loving people not only embraced us but opened a wide door of opportunities for us.

“This country is a large part of my soul — the friendships we made, the knowledge we gained and the memories that will forever live with us. It is our second home.”

He said the mutual values of tolerance, as well as the shared history and culture deserved to be recognised.

Suzan Faheem, 43, a mother of three, was born in the UAE after her family moved from Egypt, and she has a deep affinity for both countries.

“Both are my countries, I am loyal to both,” she said.

Ms Faheem considers herself and her children lucky to be living in the Emirates, which she said had cared for them and given them security and a future.

Doctor's sense of pride

Dr Essam Atta, associate director of business development and medical affairs at the Thumbay Health Group, moved to the UAE with his father in 1973.

He attended school in the Emirates before returning to Egypt to study medicine in 1981. He was back in the UAE 10 years later with his wife, and has remained ever since.

“We both hit success here and made so many achievements that probably could not have been easily achieved elsewhere,” he said.

“All three of our daughters were born in Abu Dhabi, where we settled first before moving to Ajman.”

He said the ties between both countries had always been strong while the love between their people was deep and mutual.

“It fills me with pride to be an Egyptian living in the UAE.”

Shaping my future

Egyptian architect Marwan Amr, 32, said the UAE had offered him the right platform to build his career.

“As an ambitious designer, it made perfect sense that I move to the UAE where I saw a young country with much room for creativity and extended support for talent and businesses,” said Mr Amr, founder of KDSV design studio in Dubai.

“It is the right choice because with the world focus being on the UAE, doing business here puts you on the world map rapidly."

Mr Amr said he had always felt welcome in the Emirates.

“As an Egyptian I believe the strong relationship between Egypt and the UAE can best be portrayed by the feeling that we are home when we are here.”

An enduring partnership

Ministers and officials from both countries will be among the more than 1,800 leading Emirati and Egyptian figures from various industries attending the Cairo gathering.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi will open the event, followed by an address by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly.

The UAE delegation will include Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the President, Minister of Culture and Youth Noura Al Kaabi and Ministers of State Dr Maitha Al Shamsi and Khalifa Al Marar.

Mohammed Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, said the firm foundations for the long-standing ties were laid down by the UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

The UAE more than doubled its investments in Egypt during the first half of the 2021-2022 fiscal year, after a series of government-backed initiatives and forays by private companies, it was announced in August.

The value of Emirati investments in Egypt, the Arab world's third-largest economy, rose to $1.9 billion in the first six months of the fiscal year, up by about 169 per cent from $712.6m in the same period a year earlier, Egypt's Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics said in a statement on its website.

The value of trade between the two countries grew by 1.4 per cent annually to $1.2bn during the first quarter of 2022, the agency said.