Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Major General Atef Moftah Saleh Tolba, the General Director of the Grand Egyptian Museum, paid a courtesy call on TAKEI Shunsuke, State Minister for Foreign Affairs, in Tokyo on Monday.

At the outset, Minister Takei welcomed Gen. Atef’s visit to Japan and expressed his expectations for the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), which is a symbol of Japan-Egypt development cooperation.

Atef expressed his appreciation for the Japanese government’s cooperation with GEM and the two sides had a meaningful exchange of views.

The Grand Egyptian Museum is set to be the world’s largest museum when it opens in the Giza area of Cairo near the three great pyramids.

In addition to providing financial support through ODA, loans totaling approximately 84.2 billion yen for the construction of the museum, Japan is also providing technical cooperation for the conservation and restoration of relics at the adjacent Conservation and Restoration Center, as well as for strengthening the museum’s operational and exhibition capacity.

Cultural properties such as Tutankhamun’s golden mask are scheduled to be transferred to the museum and exhibited there, and it is expected that the museum will contribute to the preservation, restoration, exhibition, education and research of Egypt’s historical cultural heritage, as well as to the promotion of tourism.