DUBAI: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi thanked Saudi Arabia and the UAE for their continued support of his country.
Speaking as the guest of honor at the 10th annual World Government Summit on Monday, el-Sisi addressed a packed conference hall at Dubai’s Madinat Jumeirah on the theme of “Investing in Egypt: Empowering the Private Sector and Empowering Egyptians”. The role of sovereign funds”. ,
He told the delegates that the last decade had presented his country with difficult challenges and that Egypt continues to face difficult times.
But the President thanked the Kingdom and the UAE for their continued support of his country.
“If it weren’t for the support of our brothers from the UAE and Saudi,” he said, “we would not have been able to cross over to safety.”
Al-Sisi praised the UAE, which has already provided more than $100 million in aid, in response to last week’s devastating earthquake in southern Turkey and northern Syria.
But he added: “I have also asked Mohamed bin Zayed to increase his aid to Syria. I don’t think Emirati citizens will be upset by this – on the contrary, they will be proud.”
And al-Sisi outlined the problems facing his government in the fields of electricity, health and education, saying positive results require persistence and patience.
“The education sector alone requires $250 billion. I don’t have this budget which is a challenge in itself. Education is a long term investment for a better Egypt; This is the right of my son, my grandson and every child in Egypt. Education is a long term investment, it takes 14 years to reap the benefits.
“I give equal priority to all the problems of the country. After 2011, Egypt faced a loss of hope. People think that when a government falls it is destroyed for good but by the grace of God Egypt came back. We had a problem with terrorism – targeting mosques, churches and infrastructure, even regular civilians. Now that things are getting progressively better, we should focus on attracting investment.
El-Sisi said that the Arab Spring could not be repeated because it had cost Egypt a heavy price – costing the country about $450 billion.
However, he added that the government is now in a better position to strike deals and partnerships to improve the lives of citizens.
“I am now able and want to pursue a power link project not only with Jordan but also with Saudi Arabia and Italy,” he said.
The president reminded the crowd and leadership alike that the “historic, fraternal ties” must not be shattered because of outside forces deliberately causing disruption between Arab governments.