President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s Speech At Egyptian Family Iftar

“In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful”

Ladies and Gentlemen, Honorable Guests,
The Great People of Egypt

I commence my speech today by extending greetings to all Egyptians during these blessed days, where our feasts, Muslims and Christians, have blended together. The days of the holy month of Ramadan coincided with Big Thursday, Holy Friday, and Easter. May we always remain one generous nation, a great homeland embracing us all with goodness, peace and love.

Ladies and Gentlemen..

The covenant between me and you since I was honored with the mission assigned to me upon the order of the great people of Egypt is a covenant of honesty in speech, and sincerity in action and intentions, stripped of all affiliations but the affiliation to Allah and the homeland, for the sake of Allah Almighty. For the sake of implementing the will of the nation and achieving the dreams of its sons, our actions have been firm and solid and our resolve has been unyielding in order to realize the survival and construction of our dear Egypt. Over the past years, the challenges we encountered were great but our successes in surmounting them were even greater. The smear campaigns and campaigns of skepticism were systematic and intense, we responded with more achievements. Abhorrent terrorism sought to undermine our resolve and determination, but the blood of the Egyptians and their sacrifices were the price paid for our Egypt to remain dear and capable.

With a quick reading of the national daily accomplishment notebook over the past years, following our great revolution on June 30, 2013, we find that together we created glory that we again pride ourselves on; glory that was created by the bloods of the righteous martyrs, the arms of honorable scholars and peasants and the minds of the scientists, thinkers and intellectuals. Our homeland became a joint arena that embraces our dreams for tomorrow. And for the sake of reconstructing the capabilities of the State of Egypt, together we, the state and the people, endured formidable challenges and immense pressures. Efforts to reconstruct and develop the state’s infrastructure took place in tandem with the implementation of an ambitious economic reform program. The Egyptian citizen endured the huge impact of these reforms, primarily the great Egyptian woman, who did not hesitate for a second to be at the forefront of national action.

The fruits of reforms were garnered and reflected on macroeconomic indicators. Infrastructure and energy projects have achieved incredible results, bolstering the state’s capabilities and increasing the value of its assets, thus turning Egypt into a destination for foreign investment. Unemployment rates declined after the implementation of national projects generated jobs. A significant leap was achieved with the establishment of fourth-generation cities after the construction of a number of new cities across the republic to narrow the gap between demand for housing and its supply, in order to offer the necessary housing units for Egypt’s youth.

Turning the wheel of construction and production began in all fields and sectors. The Egyptian citizen and providing the elements of quality of life was the most noble goal and lofty objective. We launched health-based initiatives that have achieved tangible and effective results, reflecting positively on the health of the Egyptians. We also launched phase 1 of the largest developmental project for the development of the Egyptian countryside in history “Decent Life”. The state sought to ensure that growth rates reflect directly on the most vulnerable citizens in the Egyptian countryside. To ensure achieving social justice, which has been called for by the Egyptians in January 2011and June 2013, a considerable package of social protection measures was adopted to provide a safe umbrella for the neediest segments. The state’s efforts were not limited to the economic field only. The State of Egypt sought to solidify the concept of possessing the necessary capabilities, thus it developed and boosted its security and military capabilities. That was an imperative, amid a turbulent region swept by winds of turmoil and conflict. Today, these capabilities are a guarantor for the protection of the homeland’s resources and a backer for its stability. The State of Egypt has also succeeded to re-draw the pattern of its regional and international relations, based on the concept of mutual respect, enhancing joint interests and defending Egypt’s national security in close and far circles.

Ladies and Gentlemen..

The Great People of Egypt

Every viewer and observer of the progress of the State of Egypt since 2014 until today, can recite the story of a great nation that was capable, during less than a decade, to protect itself from downfall and turn the cunning of those who wished it failure into resolve and determination. Egypt turned into a leading country in its region, young in its dreams and strong with its sons. The threats of terrorism, skepticism and lies from everywhere did not undermine it. Today, the world and Egypt are facing a global and complex crisis as a result of the repercussions of the Coronavirus, COVID-19, pandemic and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. These crises resulted in an increase in the world inflation levels, a state of trade depression and a crisis in supply chains. Egypt is facing the crises, that have struck the world, with advanced capabilities and a vigorous action plan that was developed by the government and all state institutions and authorities so as to turn the crisis into an opportunity to develop and strengthen the Egyptian economy, while taking into consideration the need to have direct impact on the citizens through the coordination and cooperation between the state and its institutions on one hand and civil society institutions and development partners on the other. This is in addition to expanding the social protection umbrella to encompass the most vulnerable segments.

Great People of Egypt,

The sacrifices and dreams of the Egyptian people are guarantors of our great nation’s survival, and just as we have surmounted previous challenges together, we will also overcome current challenges. In the presence of the representatives of the people who have gathered at the table of the Egyptian family, I announce to you, in clear words and in an Egyptian tongue, that we are renewing the covenant that allows for common ground to unite us in our dear homeland and to build the Egypt of the future. In order to achieve this, I have decided the following:

First: Assigning the government to hold an international press conference to announce the Egyptian state’s plan to deal with the global economic crisis, which includes implementing urgent measures to improve the investment climate and attract foreign direct investments in the fields of infrastructure, energy, health, education and digital transformation. This is in addition to directing all necessary support to Egyptian investors across all tourism, industrial, agricultural, real estate development, and digital transformation fields.

Second: Launching the initiative to support and localize national industries to rely on the local products and reduce imports, by strengthening the role of the national private sector in the localization of large, medium, small and micro industries in Egypt. This includes the provision of a number of incentives in the form of usufruct lands, tax breaks for a period of five years; provisions of the necessary support to legalize the status of violators as well as technical and material support for defaulters.

Third: Assigning state agencies and institutions to continue to support the National Alliance for Civil and Development Work (NACDW) initiative, which has already provided support and social protection for 9 million families during the past two months, with the government supporting the alliance at a value of EGP 9 billion until the end of this year. Allow me, during this honorable gathering, to extend to all members of this alliance, associations, and institutions, my greetings and appreciation for the effort, coordination, and integration with the various state institutions to make this model of cooperation between the state and civil society a success.

Fourth: Based on declaring 2022 the year of civil society, I call on all concerned agencies and civil society institutions to launch a platform for dialogue through the NADCW, the Ministry of Social Solidarity, and the National Council for Human Rights to provide support for civil and community work and propose the necessary legislative amendments so as to facilitate community work and serve the objectives of the state in achieving sustainable development.

Fifth: Assigning the government and all concerned agencies to enhance all aspects of support provided to wheat farmers in Egypt by increasing incentives, whether material or service, in order to achieve an increase in wheat self-sufficiency.

Sixth: Reactivating the work of the Presidential Pardon Committee, which was formed as one of the outcomes of the National Youth Conference, provided their cooperation with relevant authorities. I cannot conceal my immense joy for the release of a batch of our sons over the past days, telling them that the homeland embraces all of us and that differences of opinion do not spoil the homeland’s affairs.

Seventh: Assigning ministries, institutions and agencies that contributed to providing basic commodities to citizens, through the various nationwide outlets, to continue the work of these outlets to provide all basic commodities to citizens at subsidized prices until the end of this year.

Eighth: Assigning the management of the National Youth Conference, in coordination with all youth movements and political parties, to conduct a political dialogue surrounding the priority of national action during the current stage and to submit the results of this dialogue to me personally, and I promise to attend these dialogues in their final stages.

Ninth: The government shall announce a clear plan to reduce public debt as a percentage of national income, as well as the budget deficit over the next four years.

Tenth: The government shall present an integrated vision for the advancement of the Egyptian Stock Exchange that aims to double the sizes and numbers of companies whose securities are listed, as well as local and foreign investors, and various institutions.

Eleventh: Assigning the government to announce a program for private sector participation in state-owned assets with a target of $10 billion annually for a period of four years.

Twelfth: The government shall start offering shares of state-owned companies in the Egyptian Stock Exchange, including companies owned by the Armed Forces, before the end of this year.

Thirteenth: Completing the payment of private debts on behalf of 700 men and women debtors in prisons at a cost of EGP 45 million for their release. This is the first batch of assistance directed to them and their families to help integrate them in public life and empower them economically.

At the end of my speech, in the midst of this generous and grand gathering of the sons and daughters of the great people of Egypt, I assure you all that this dear country is stronger than the calumniators imagine and more precious than the skeptics think. Our dear, strong Egypt, which has taken its first steps to inaugurate the New Republic, is capable of overcoming difficulties and turning challenges into opportunities.

The New Republic is a modern, democratic, civil state that accommodates all its children and seeks peace, construction, and development – Egypt, whose martyrs’ blood watered its good land, its glory created by the hands of its sons and daughters, its hope planted by its farmers, its future shaped by its workers, continues to radiate its light in matters of culture, art and science through the minds of its scholars.

Egypt is the nation to which we profess and repeat:. Long live Egypt. Long live Egypt. Long live Egypt.

May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon you all.