President El-Sisi’s Speech at the Joint Press Conference with the German Chancellor

"In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful,

Your Excellency Chancellor Olaf Scholz,

Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,

At the outset, allow me to thank you and the government of the Federal Republic of Germany for the hospitality and warm welcome in Berlin and for the constructive and fruitful discussions we held today that are in line with our mutual keenness to strengthen our relations at the bilateral level and to consult and coordinate closely on how to address the grave challenges our world is witnessing today.

The bilateral partnership between Egypt and Germany at all levels witnessed a major breakthrough in the past years.  I assured Chancellor Scholz today that Egypt is committed to moving forward with full force toward strengthening and deepening the traditional partnership between our two countries and peoples, especially as we celebrate this year the establishment of the Egyptian-German diplomatic relations that mark their seventieth year.

Distinguished guests,

I expressed to Chancellor Scholz today Egypt's great appreciation for the existing economic and development cooperation with Germany which has been witnessing, for years, an active participation on part of Germany in Egyptian development efforts and a strong involvement on part of the giant German companies in the implementation of mega projects that contribute to changing life on the land of Egypt through the establishment of a huge and modern infrastructure in many vital sectors.

Honorable Chancellor Scholz,

Today, the international arena is witnessing multiple challenges at a delicate and critical time. This requires us to keep the channels of consultation open, and adopt brainstorm techniques to find solutions to address these challenges.

In this context, I was pleased that today we exchanged views on a number of files of common interest. In this context, I briefed Chancellor Scholz on Egypt's ongoing preparations to host the Global Climate Summit "COP-27" in Sharm El-Sheikh next November. 

Today, as Egypt prepares for the assumption of the presidency of the summit, I was pleased to participate with Chancellor Scholz in the opening of the “Petersberg Climate Dialogue”, an important forum for deliberating on how to coordinate international efforts to achieve tangible progress on this issue which represents the most prominent challenge for the future of the entire human family. 

Moreover, our discussions today touched on the difficult international economic situation arising from the crisis in Ukraine, especially in terms of food and energy security in the world and the unprecedented negative impacts on their markets due to the crisis. We agreed that the current situation obliges all international actors to be responsible to find practical solutions and mechanisms that would mitigate the repercussions of the crisis on the most affected countries.

Our discussions today also tackled a number of regional files of common interest which directly affect stability and security throughout our region. I assured Chancellor Scholz that Egypt, based on its historical role and responsibility in its region, is determined to continue its sincere efforts in coordination with brothers and partners to settle crises and address the causes of tension in the region.

We have agreed that coordination will continue between us regarding the region's issues, foremost among which are the question of Palestine and the situation in Libya, Syria and Yemen. This is in addition to means to confront extremism, terrorism, and the phenomenon of illegal immigration.

I briefed Counsellor Scholz on the latest developments in the Renaissance Dam issue, stressing that Egypt would continue its quest to find a just solution, taking into account the requirements of its water security, that will not be compromised, by reaching a legally-binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam.

I and Chancellor Scholz attached great importance during our talks today to discuss ways to enhance our cooperation in the field of energy, whether at the bilateral level with Germany or the European Union. I reiterated to Chancellor Scholz Egypt's full readiness to lay the foundations for a strong partnership with Germany in the field of energy of all kinds, whether through the export of natural gas to Germany and the European Union, or the establishment of an extended partnership with Germany within Egypt's ambitious vision for the transformation into a distinguished clean energy production and export hub, with regard to green hydrogen, solar energy, and wind in particular.

Egypt takes pride in its partnership with Germany and their transparent dialogue on all our interests. Hence, during my meeting with Chancellor Scholz, I was keen to inform him of the important developments taking place in a main axis, one of the axes of our national work in recent months: the file of human rights. It is a part of the comprehensive approach adopted by the Egyptian state in this regard.

This is driven by the fact that the human right to a decent life and development  in a society that enjoys political rights and freedoms, guaranteed by the Egyptian constitution which the state is committed to safeguard and protect.

The issuance of the National Human Rights Strategy was at the forefront of these steps. It includes implementation steps, evaluation, and follow-up mechanisms, with the participation of the civil society. This is in addition to launching the national dialogue and ending the state of emergency in Egypt.

Honorable Chancellor Olaf Scholz,

Thank you again for your warm welcome and for our fruitful and constructive discussions today. I look forward to welcoming you in Cairo soon, a dear guest in Egypt, so that we, together, will continue to consolidate the bonds of friendship between our two countries and their traditional partnership of which we are proud.

Thank you