Europe biggest partner to Arab world: Sisi

CAIRO – 16 February 2019: During his participation at the opening session of the 2019 edition of the Munich Security Conference, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi said cooperation between Arab and European countries is extended throughout history, given the geographical aspects, mutual relations and connections.

Presidential Spokesperson Bassam Rady said in a statement on Saturday that the Egyptian leader stressed that Europe is the biggest partner to the Arab world, pointing out to significant possibilities to boost this cooperation in various fields.

World leader gathered on Friday for the annual Munich Security Conference, which was first held in 1963, with the fallout of World War II still lingering and the Cold War at full throttle.

In the decades since, it has grown to include representatives from around the world and has served as a platform for airing grievances and testing policies.

During his speech, Sisi added that cooperation between Arab and European countries is a significant matter, as instability in the Arab region would definitely affect Europe, and vise versa, as for example, the crises that hit some Arab countries led to an increase in the rates of illegal immigration, which affected the stability of some European countries.

“No illegal migration case has crossed the Mediterranean Sea from Egyptian shores since September 2016, President Sisi announced, adding that his country held a series of bilateral talks with a number of European countries to deal with the illegal migration from Africa to Europe,” the president said in his speech.

“Egypt hosts million of registered and unregistered migrants who are integrating into the Egyptian society,” Sisi continued.

He further stressed the need for more communication and coordination between Arab and European countries to find a common ground to encounter and address common challenges and dangers. Therefore, according to the statement, the Arab-European Summit in Sharm al-Sheikh would be an important step and opportunity in that direction, and will be followed by many steps.

As for the phenomenon of terrorism, the Egyptian president affirmed that he was the first president of an Islamic country to demand correction to the religious speech, especially that many countries suffer from extreme religious speeches, the matter which the whole world must become aware of.

President Sisi also demanded the international community to deal strictly with the misuse of social media platforms and modern communication means to recruit new militias and harm the world, pointing out that extremism will keep on contributing to the phenomenon of terrorism unless strict international procedures take place to encounter it.

“In Egypt we are citizens, no difference between a Muslim and a Christian, as we are all brothers,” the president said, pointing out to the establishment of the biggest cathedral in the Middle East in the new Administrative Capital. He stressed that deepening values of coexistence and tolerance is much more important than words and speeches.

“Many people do not understand what is going on in Egypt and through that what happened in 2013 was against the will of Egyptians, despite that more than 30 million Egyptians went out to demonstrate ruling based on religion,” President Sisi added.

He further pointed out that extremist groups appear every time the national authorities of the country move out of the scene, stressing that fighting terrorism requires the international community to stand united against it.

The Egyptian President said Egypt’s strategic location made it the link between Africa and the Arab region, and between Europe and the Arab and African regions through the Mediterranean.

He also stressed that Egypt adheres to resolving crises through politics only and preserving the unity and safety of its land, as it plays a significant role in overcoming challenges and regaining security in the region, because most of these crises have a direct effect to the Egyptian national security.