Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi outlined Cairo’s core vision for the Middle East on Saturday during an address marking the 44th anniversary of the liberation of the Sinai Peninsula, stating that the region’s future must be built on cooperation and peace rather than occupation, destruction, and bloodshed.
In his televised speech, Al-Sisi warned of premeditated attempts to redraw the region’s map under extremist ideological claims. He stressed the necessity of respecting state sovereignty and territorial integrity, calling for an end to efforts aimed at dividing nations, seizing their resources, and fuelling internal conflicts. Political solutions and negotiations, he stated, are the optimal ways to spare the region further disaster.
Addressing the immediate conflict in the Palestinian territories, Sisi expressed Egypt’s “categorical rejection, which accepts no interpretation or compromise, of any endeavour aimed at displacing the Palestinians under any circumstances.” He urged the full implementation of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, including unhindered humanitarian aid and immediate reconstruction, alongside a halt to repeated attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank to protect their rights and dignity.
The president firmly condemned recent attacks on several Arab nations, affirming Egypt’s complete support for their sovereignty and territorial safety. He noted that solidarity is the only way for regional countries to overcome current hardships, reaffirming that peace remains Egypt’s permanent choice, stemming from strength and conviction rather than weakness or fear.
Al-Sisi detailed the severe economic pressures resulting from this regional instability, revealing that Egypt has lost approximately $10 bn in Suez Canal revenues due to attacks on shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb strait. This loss, coupled with the hosting of around 10 m arrivals from allied and neighbouring countries, has compounded the challenges posed by global food and energy price increases. He cited a decade of successive crises impacting the state, including terrorism, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Gaza war, and what he termed the “Iranian war.”
Reflecting on the historical significance of the Sinai liberation, Sisi praised the Egyptian Armed Forces, the civilian police, and the late President Anwar Sadat’s vision for peace. He also commended the Egyptian legal team that secured the return of Taba through international arbitration, noting that the military remains fully capable of deterring any threat to Egypt’s national security.
Acknowledging the economic difficulties facing the domestic population, Al-Sisi reassured the public that the government is working with all its capacity to alleviate burdens and limit the repercussions of these compounding global and regional crises.
