Egypt’s Sisi addresses GERD, Libya, and terrorism during UNGA speech

CAIRO – 23 September 2020: Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al Sisi addressed Tuesday several ongoing topics during the speech he gave at the United Nations’ 75th General Assembly which is held virtually due to the current Coronavirus pandemic.

President Abdel Fatah al Sisi said that his country is committed to a political solution for the current crisis in Libya based on the Skhirat agreement, the Berlin conference, and Cairo’s declaration which set a schedule for a consensual government.

The president said that the current conflict in Libya harms the stability of the neighboring countries, adding that his country will protect its National Security if the armed clashes reached Sirte and Jufra cities.

“Egypt is keen to support the Libyans in their battle against the terrorist militias and unlawful regional intervention,” added al Sisi.

Regarding the refugee crisis, President Abdel Fatah al Sisi said that Egypt continues to fulfill its humanitarian duties by hosting more than 6 million refugees who were forced to flee their countries due to civil wars and political crises.

The president highlighted the Egyptian concerns over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) which is established by brotherly and neighboring Ethiopia.

“We spent almost a decade in painstaking negotiations with our brothers in Sudan and Ethiopia to realize an agreement on the operation and filling of the dam in a way that balances between the Ethiopian people’s right in development and Egyptian water interests and right to life,” added al Sisi during his UNGA speech.

The president highlighted the World Bank and America’s efforts during the current year to pave the bridges between the three countries, and the South African president’s initiative to launch the negotiations under the auspices of the African Union.

“However, these efforts did not end with the “expected results,” said al Sisi.

The president asserted that the Nile Waters must not be monopolized by one part, adding that the International society should encourage all the involved parts to realize an agreement that serves the common interests.

On terrorism, President Abdel Fatah al Sisi said that the International Society should not turn a blind eye to states that fund, host, and bring terrorists to war-torn countries such as Libya and Syria.

The president urged International institutions such as the United Nations to hold these states accountable for such violations.

The president asserted during his speech the Palestinian right to have an independent state. “If we seek to execute the International calls, realize permanent peace and security in the Middle East, then we have to support the legitimate right of the Palestinian people to have an independent state with eastern Jerusalem as its capital,” said al Sisi.