The ambassador

Peter Mollema

Dutch ambassador in Cairo

Peter Mollema has been ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Egypt since 2023.
See the curriculum vitae of ambassador Mollema on rijksoverheid.nl (in Dutch).

‘Diplomacy is about looking for connections’

Peter Mollema has been the Netherlands’ ambassador to Egypt since 2023. Having lived and worked in the Middle East before, it didn’t take him long to acclimatise.

You were appointed ambassador to Egypt in 2023. What was the first thing that struck you about the country, its people and their way of life?


‘I arrived in the summer, and it was so hot! 40°C is not unusual here, and you’ve no choice but to adjust your lifestyle. Cairo is a metropolis: it vibrates with life, colour, smells and hectic streets. I love it! Egyptians have learned to live alongside each other on a small patch of earth. And people have a good sense of humour – they can laugh at themselves.’


You say Egyptians have a sense of humour, whereas Dutch people often come across as direct. Have you noticed this cultural difference in practice?


‘I have, a bit. When you’ve got so many people living so close together, it’s a question of give and take. You can’t go head to head every time you disagree. So that kind of bluntness isn’t something that comes naturally to Egyptians. Dutch people have to take this into account. When you ask people things, you should know that you’ll often hear ‘yes’ when they really mean ‘no’. And sometimes someone will make a comment or a joke and you’ll realise that they mean something else entirely. You need a finely tuned cultural antenna.’

Has your perception of Egypt or your work at the embassy changed since you became ambassador?

'It has changed on two points. First, our relationship with Egypt has become even more important since the start of the war in Gaza, and that has certainly affected our work here at the embassy. Egypt is a key partner in the search for solutions. And I hope that a solution can very quickly be found for the terrible conflict in Gaza and the enormous human suffering there.

Second, there has been a major economic shift. The value of Egypt’s currency was frozen for years. That has changed now, which brings new opportunities for Dutch companies. As a result, political and economic policy have changed from when I first arrived, although cultural dialogue and issues such as migration and human rights are still important.’

Can you name a couple of things that the mission is working on, and the ones that you find most interesting?

'In terms of economic links, I often stress how important green hydrogen is for the Netherlands and Europe. Egypt produces a lot of solar and wind energy that can be used to produce green hydrogen and export it to the Netherlands. That could be a major boost for our energy transition.

Another example is cooperation on water management. We’re working on a project for coastal protection. We’ve created artificial dunes to protect some of our own coastal areas in the Netherlands, and we’re looking at whether this could be a good solution in Egypt.

The Netherlands and Egypt cooperate on water in other ways too. Egypt has a population of 110 million and only a single source of water: the Nile. And more and more people are dependent on that one source. So you can imagine how much energy goes into using water efficiently, using it sparingly in agriculture, recycling it and keeping it clean. Where the focus in the Netherlands is often on dealing with too much water, in Egypt the concern is how to use what they have efficiently. And even though the nature of the problem is different, our expertise in dealing with water is just as useful.’

What would you say is your most important task as ambassador?

‘About 250,000 Dutch nationals visit Egypt every year, and that means a heavy workload for the embassy. People lose passports, apply for visas and need help and support when someone has died. I also help Dutch businesses make use of opportunities here in Egypt. What’s more, I believe we have a responsibility to help Egypt reinforce its ties with the Netherlands. It’s not a one-way street. Diplomacy is about looking for connections, whether they’re political, economic or cultural.’

With such a busy job, what do you do in your free time?

‘I’m pretty good at doing nothing, and that’s a good thing with a busy job like mine. I have no problem sitting down and letting my mind go blank. It’s hard to exercise outdoors here because of the heat, so I use a rowing machine at home. And of course I enjoy all the things that Egypt has to offer. Museums here have so many amazing exhibits on Egyptian culture and history.’

What do you hope to achieve in the coming years?

‘I hope we can strengthen ties between the Netherlands and Egypt even further, and help create more stability in the Middle East. And I hope our economic partnership continues to grow. We’re enormously dependent on the Suez Canal. I always say that if the Suez Canal were to close, shelves in the Netherlands would be empty in no time.
Besides that, I’d like to deepen our relations in terms of culture. Egypt has a very young population, and there’s a lot of work to be done around cultural activities for young people. And I’d like to organise some sporting events. It would be great to give women’s football here a little help in the right direction, for instance by organising a friendly match.
Actually, to understand another country you have to look beyond politics and really understand the culture too. For people in the Netherlands, Egypt is the Red Sea and pyramids; Egyptians think of the Netherlands in terms of windmills and clogs. That’s a very sweeping generalisation, of course, but there are a lot of things we could do that would help us get to know each other better in that respect.’