Sisi: We are keen on establishing modern democratic state

CAIRO – 24 October 2017: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi urged journalists not to consider human rights exclusively in terms of political rights, during a joint conference with his French Counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Paris Tuesday.

“Human rights should not be considered exclusively in terms of political rights. We are not France and we do not enjoy its cultural development. We are a different part of the world,” Sisi said.

Sisi added, “I invite you all to visit Egypt and see that we do not have torture.”
This came in response to a question by one of the journalists regarding human rights status in Egypt.

“Terror has shaken the region. Terror could have destroyed the region and even Europe. We are keen to establish a modern democratic state,” Sisi continued.

The president addressed journalists attending the press conference saying, “You have to be extra careful with reports issued by NGOs as we have an outlawed group keen to crack the country,” referring to the banned Muslim Brotherhood group.

Sisi further emphasized that there are tens of thousands of NGOs which are operating peacefully and providing noble services to the society in Egypt.

“We are suffering from deteriorating education, health care, unemployment, and housing crisis. You never ask about the human rights of the families of our martyrs and injured who fell victims to terrorism. You never ask about the three million who are working in the tourism industry and suffering due to terrorism,” President Sisi said.

The president added that, “human rights should not be considered exclusively in terms of political rights. We are not France and we do not enjoy its cultural development. We are a different part of the world.”