Congress to award late President Sadat Congressional Gold Medal

CAIRO – 27 September 2017: U.S. Congress held a celebration to generate support from its members for a bill titled the Anwar Sadat Centennial Celebration Act, proposing to award late President Anwar El Sadat the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal in 2018, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.

Next year will mark the 100th anniversary of Sadat’s birth and the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty.

The celebration was attended by many members of Congress who have expressed their appreciation for the late president for his heroic achievements and courageous contributions to peace in the Middle East.

They also highlighted the importance of deepening the partnership and cooperation with Egypt for the peoples’ interests, especially since Egypt is an active partner and has an important role for peace and stability in the Arab and Islamic world.

The bill was supported greatly in Congress, as 138 congressmen of the U.S. House of Representatives and 31 senators have backed the bill, said the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid.

Egyptian Ambassador to the United States, Yasser Reda, said that the gold medal honors the heroic role of Sadat, adding that Egypt is fighting a war against terrorism no less important than what it previously fought for achieving peace.

Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Representative Chris Stewart (R-UT) and Representative Grace Meng (D-NY) introduced this bill to Congress in January 2017 to award President Sadat the Congressional Gold Medal, which is the highest civilian award bestowed by Congress.