“In the presence of Sisi.” Alaa Mubarak comments on Putin’s statements about his late father

On Thursday, Alaa Mubarak, son of former Egyptian President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, commented on statements reported by a news site about Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which he spoke about Hosni Mubarak, in the presence of current President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. The Russian news site quoted the Russian president in a video clip from the Russian-African summit in Moscow said: “Putin recalls his dialogue with Hosni Mubarak in the Kremlin: “He surprised me with his precise knowledge of the stories of the Bible and Christians and told me that they are in the Qur’an.”

Putin added, according to what was reported by the Russian news site during the summit, while he was sitting next to Al-Sisi and a number of African presidents: “Yesterday, while we were at a reception, I mentioned to my friend, President Al-Sisi, that we had sat and eaten many years ago in this same hall, a hall designated for ceremonial occasions. I was hosting former Egyptian President Mubarak at the time, and when President Mubarak looked at the walls of the hall, in which we were sitting yesterday, he began explaining everything to me, from the perspective of topics drawn from the Bible. I was very surprised, because frankly I do not know much about this matter myself, so I asked him, Mr. President, how were you able to know this when you are a person who converts to Islam? He replied: We have these matters similar. What is mentioned in the Qur’an or the Bible are almost identical. Putin added about Mubarak: “He explained everything to me in precise detail. He surprised me greatly.”

Alaa Mubarak wrote in a post on his official account on the “X” platform, previously Twitter: “The Absent Present: The position of Russian President Vladimir Putin in recalling the biography of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak reflects Putin’s position of respect for the presidents with whom he had long working relationships, and deeply embodies how historical leaders can remain influential in the course of bilateral relations even after their departure.” Alaa Mubarak added: “Despite Mubarak’s absence from the political scene for years and his departure, mentioning him with goodness in an official international forum shows Russian appreciation for President Mubarak, may God have mercy on him, and for the history of bilateral relations.”

Putin's statements about Mubarak came during his speech at the Russian-African summit in Moscow.