Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said, on Monday, that the support provided by the UAE, represented by its President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has been a bright spot for his country in recent years, and has helped it overcome difficult times.
Al-Sisi’s remarks came during a dialogue session within the work of the first day of the World Government Summit in Dubai, and it was moderated by colleague Faisal bin Hariz.
Al-Sisi stressed that there are two bright spots in the history of Egypt in recent years, and the first is the support of the Arab brothers, which was organized by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The Egyptian president said that following the July 3, 2013 statement that he read, he learned that Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed (at that time the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces) would visit Egypt, and would see him for the first time.
Al-Sisi added that the Egyptians at that time were living in difficult conditions, as they were standing in lines at gas stations, and the country was suffering from a severe shortage of fuel.
The Egyptian president pointed out that Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed came to Egypt at the head of a delegation from the Emirates, and he knew exactly what this country needed, so that there was no need to inform him of it.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed ordered ships loaded with fuel in the Red and Mediterranean Seas to be directed to Egypt, carrying cooking gas, natural gas, diesel and gasoline.
According to Al-Sisi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed organized with the brothers the support that was later provided to Egypt, and without him, his country would never have been able to pass that difficult stage.
At that stage, Al-Sisi indicated that the cash reserve was a challenge to Egypt following 2011, as it was depleted in bringing in petroleum materials and was regarding to run out, as it was no longer sufficient to buy the rest of the basic commodities.
Al-Sisi said, “If the brothers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait had not stood up, Egypt would not have stood up once more.”
The Egyptian President thanked these countries for the support they provided.
The second bright spot, according to Sisi, is that some believed that the Egyptians would not be able to stand firm, but the Egyptians have endured and are enduring difficult circumstances, in addition to their efforts to build their country in recent years.
