Sisi: Egypt has multiple options to maintain its national security
President El Sisi said Thursday that Egypt’s national security is a red line that cannot be crossed, stressing that favoring peace does not mean to allow the country’s rights to be harmed.
In a speech on a conference on the Decent Life initiative to upgrade Egypt’s countryside, Sisi called on Egyptians not to worry about the water issue amid a dispute over Ethiopia’s dam.
“We should never worry … live your life,” he said.
“Egypt handles all issues with wisdom and deep planning, and refrains from misleading or tickling the feelings of the Egyptians,” Sisi said.
However, the president said the Egyptian’s concern over the water issue is “legitimate.”
“We have stressed Egypt’s readiness to transfer expertise in the electricity projects and agricultural production to our brothers in Africa,” he added.
Egypt has multiple options to maintain its national security, he said, adding “Egypt seeks to make the River Nile a domain for partnership and prosperity.”
Sisi stressed that Egypt brought the Ethiopian dam issue to the UN Security Council to place it on the agenda of the international community.
He added that Egypt’s projects target preserving every drop of water.
Sisi sent a message to the brothers in Sudan and Ethiopia, calling for reaching a legally binding agreement on the dam so that “we live in prosperity and peace.”
Egypt possesses political instruments and the military and economic might that enable it to impose its will and protect its rights, he said.
“A strong, democratic, modern and civilian Egypt is the country that befits the Egyptians,” Sisi said on Thursday in a speech at a conference on the Decent Life initiative, a national project to develop Egypt’s countryside.
The president paid tribute to the army and police for their efforts in serving the nation.
The president added that he and the army absolutely favored the will of the Egyptian people, in reference to the military’s support of the June 30 revolution that ended the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013.
“We have faced a strong wave of terrorism, and we broke through economic crises and problems with the help of an economic reform program,” he added.
He stressed that Egypt will continue efforts to reach a legally binding agreement between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia on the filling and operation of the dam.
He stressed that Egypt does not seek to threaten or interfere in the affairs of countries, but it seeks to cooperate and accept development that allows generating electricity for the Ethiopians.
Sisi reassured Egyptians that things go on smoothly and the state’s plans are being carried out thoughtfully.
