Sisi calls on Egyptians to unite to face challenges to homeland

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi called on all Egyptians to unite to face challenges besetting Egypt at the current stage.

"As long as the Egyptians are joining hands, no one could harm them.. unity is the wall that any nation could relay on to get out of any crisis," Sisi said. 

Speaking to youth and reporters on Wednesday evening, the president called for demonstrating the knowledge and applying new technologies to make progress in all walks of life in order not to widen the cultural gap between us and the developed world.

The president said the first National Youth Conference was a good opportunity for listening to the views of youth towards different matters and interacting with them.

Sisi said he feels reassured over the future of Egypt with its youth's enthusiasm, patriotism and determination.

During his meeting with a group of young people, the president reviewed the political and economic conditions in Egypt, voicing trust that Egypt will overcome all challenges besetting it as long as its people are united.

He stressed the importance of upholding the values of work, perseverance and knowledge and closing ranks to continue to build a new Egypt. 
Shifting to the tourism industry in Egypt, President Sisi said "Over many years, whenever we manage to achieve a big tourism boom, out of the blue circumstances and terrorist acts took place and lead to a decline in this sector. "

The government is keen on diversifying the sources of tourism and not to depend on only tourists coming from Europe, it works on attracting tourists from Asian countries, topped by China and India, after their economic conditions improved, the president said.

He further stressed the importance of achieving security and stability in Egypt to reassure the visiting tourist and his family that they will enjoy their vacation in the country.

"Tourists will never go to any country where they feel unsafe or threatened," Sisi made it clear.

He gives a clear-cut message to youth: "If you are keen on improving the economic conditions of Egypt and restoring the tourist flow to its high levels, we have to restore order to the streets." 
President Sisi also called for developing the Egyptian universities to become world class and to enable university graduates to continue their post-graduate studies abroad without issuing equivalence certificates.

He attributed the current economic problems in Egypt to what have taken place over the past six years, which had a major negative impact on the country.

Although the people get significant political gains, atop of which the possibility of the devolution of power, an ambitious Constitution and parliamentary elections, much blood spilled on the Egyptian soil to attain these gains, Sisi said.

He pointed out to the inflated number of state employees that are estimated at six million, saying the state institutions only need 10% of them. 

Additional 150 billion pounds were allocated for state employees' salaries, a matter that incurs a burden on the state budget, Sisi said.

As a result, this heavy financial burden forced the state to borrow to increase salaries, the president said, pointing out that debt servicing costs (interest payments on the debt) reached EGP 20 billion per year. 
The president said that he directed to expedite the pace of work at national projects, underlining efforts exerted to expand fish farms and increase livestock production and small-scale enterprises.

Sisi further underlined that a sum of EGP 200 billion was allocated for establishing youth projects and 1,300 other projects in the coming two years.

Replying to a question about the possibility of setting up a political party, the president denied what has been circulated that youth trained within the Presidential Leadership Program (PLP) will be the founders of his political party.

Sisi said there is no need to establish a political party as he is about to complete his term in office. 

The program aims at training young people to master the necessary skills needed to work in the public and private sectors, Sisi said.

Asked about Western media reports on the Muslim Brotherhood's possible return to political life in Egypt, the president said "this decision is taken by the state and the people." 
On the sidelines of the first National Youth Conference, currently in session in Sharm el Sheikh, the President attended a session on the role of political parties in promoting youth participation in political life.

The session was attended by a number of heads and members of political parties.

Addressing the participants, Sisi talked about the successful democratic experiment in Egypt. 

He stressed the importance of listening attentively to the other party to promote this experiment, Sisi stressed.

Sisi also underlined the necessity of choosing the best cadres for Egypt, so that we could take confident steps toward a brighter future.

The Presidential Leadership Program (PLP) aims to pump new blood into the state bodies and not to establish a platform to serve politics, the president accentuated.

Source: MENA