Russia has not only built great stadiums and infrastructure for the FIFA World Cup, it also helped discover the beauty of each of its host cities, Ihab Ahmed Talaat Nasr, Egyptian ambassador to Russia, told RT.

“To be honest I was impressed. The stadiums, airports, roads… even there very successful projects to show the beauty of the cities,” Nasr said when asked about how Russia was coping with the difficult task of staging the World Cup.

The football forum was “a good opportunity to see other beautiful places of Russia” besides such usual tourist hotspots like Moscow and St. Petersburg, he said.

Despite Egypt failing to qualify for the group stages, the World Cup was not at all in vain for the country, the ambassador stressed.

He said he was in contact with many of the 33,000 Egyptian fans coming to the event, who were traveling “in a very relaxed atmosphere [across Russia]. They were highly welcomed. And they managed to make many friendships.”

Social media in Egypt is now full of images of Russia, revealing the warm atmosphere created by the organizers at the event, Nasr added.

Like this story? Share it with a friend!