Sisi: We Will Defend Saudi Arabia

Cairo – Khadija Hamouda: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi affirmed that his country would never forget the stance of the brotherly Gulf states in support of Egypt in 2013, stressing that Egypt stands firmly with full backing to protect and defend the territories of Gulf countries.

During his speech at the graduation ceremony of the first cohort of the Egyptian Military Academy, President el-Sisi expressed gratitude and appreciation to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates for the support they provided during that period. He directed the commander of the military parade to “render a military salute to the brotherly Gulf states in appreciation of their support for Egypt,” which would be carried out by the parade unit, emphasizing that without the Gulf brothers’ solidarity with Egypt at that time, it would have been difficult to imagine how the state could meet its needs. He said, “Oil, gas, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and wheat ships arrived in Egypt without charge during a period when the state was undergoing a severe financial crisis.”

He also addressed the terrorist attacks by the Houthi militia against Saudi Arabia, stating, “We are not seeking a role to perform, but it is unreasonable to allow Saudi Arabia or its security and stability to be undermined.”

He said that, in accordance with the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and his Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman, “we will implement any measure to protect or defend Saudi Arabia,” calling on the House of Representatives to convene an emergency session to authorize defense “if we are asked to do so.”

The General Secretariat of the Egyptian House of Representatives had announced that a general session would be held at 1:00 p.m. today, following a request by the President of the Republic.

In a separate context, President el-Sisi stressed that “the Egyptian Constitution will not be touched,” affirming that the end of his presidential term in 2030 is “fully settled and will not be subject to discussion.”

El-Sisi added, “Four years ago, we were talking about preparing the Military Academy to train and qualify cadres for the Egyptian state. Today, the Academy will have another role: the responsibility of preparing another generation of leaders who will bear the responsibility of leading the state.”

House of Representatives to hold a general session at 1:00 p.m. today following the President’s request

El-Sisi: In accordance with the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and his Crown Prince, we will implement any measure to protect or defend Saudi Arabia

Cairo – Khadija Hamouda: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi delivered a series of political and national messages during his speech at the graduation ceremony of the first cohort of the Egyptian Military Academy. His address covered the future of state leadership after the end of his presidential term, commitment to the constitution, a plan to prepare and qualify a new generation of leaders, the support provided by Gulf states to Egypt, and Cairo’s stance on the security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries.

The Egyptian president affirmed that his country would never forget the stance of its brothers in the Gulf states in support of Egypt in 2013, stressing that Egypt stands firmly with full backing to protect and defend the territories of Gulf countries.

He expressed gratitude and appreciation to the State of Kuwait, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates for the support they provided during that period. He called on the commander of the military parade to “render a military salute to our brothers in the Gulf states in appreciation of their support for Egypt,” to be performed by the parade unit, and emphasized that without the Gulf brothers’ support for Egypt at that time, it would have been difficult to imagine how the state could meet its needs. He noted, “Oil, gas, liquefied petroleum gas, and wheat ships arrived in Egypt without charge during a period when the state was experiencing a severe financial crisis.”

Addressing the world, al-Sisi said, “We are not seeking a role to perform, but it is unreasonable to allow the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or its security and stability to be undermined.”

He affirmed that regardless of the response to the call for a ceasefire, Egypt stands alongside Saudi Arabia and will take necessary measures to protect and defend its brothers if required. Such a move would require the appropriate constitutional procedures and authorization from the House of Representatives.

He added that, in accordance with the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, “we will implement any measure to protect or defend the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” calling on the Egyptian parliament to convene an emergency session to grant authorization for defense “if we are asked to do so.” He said, “I am speaking not to attack or fight anyone, but solely to defend.”

The General Secretariat of the Egyptian House of Representatives announced that it would hold a general session today, Sunday. It stated that, in light of the president’s request, the general session of the House has been scheduled for 1:00 p.m. today.

In a separate context, President Sisi affirmed that “the Egyptian Constitution will not be touched,” stressing that the end of his presidential term in 2030 is “fully settled and will not be discussed.” He added, “Four years ago, we were talking about preparing the Military Academy to train and qualify cadres for the Egyptian state. Today, the Academy will have another role: the responsibility of preparing another generation of leaders who will bear the responsibility of leading the country.”

The president noted that the remaining period until 2030 amounts to approximately 43 months, and he wishes to invest part of this time in training and qualifying cadres who can be presented to Egyptians for selection. He proposed that the Speaker of the House of Representatives take responsibility for preparing this mechanism, in cooperation with a select group of trusted thinkers and politicians, along with the ministers of Higher Education and Justice, with the aim of drafting a legal framework to regulate the selection process. He pointed out that the candidate pool would include hundreds of individuals—perhaps 200, 300, 500, or even 1,000 people—holding advanced degrees and doctorates from reputable Egyptian and foreign universities. A comprehensive mechanism would be established to select and prepare participants, who would undergo training at the Military Academy for 30 months.

President Sisi emphasized that he sees himself as responsible for preserving the state and handing it over, if God grants him long life, in a strong condition with its flag held high. He considered that leading a country the size of Egypt cannot rely solely on the ability to speak or deliver well-organized speeches.

Sisi stressed that launching the leadership preparation program more than 40 months before the end of his presidential term also aims to close the door to any talk about preparing a specific individual for succession, clearly denying that the matter is linked to any of his family members, relatives, or a particular person. He affirmed that Egypt is a large country that should not be managed in this manner, calling on Egyptians to support his project of preparing qualified individuals capable of leading the state. He clarified that the cadre preparation process he refers to does not aim solely at preparing a person for the presidency, but encompasses various sectors of the state.