Full Transcript: Speech of Sisi in Djibouti

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi gave a speech during a joint press conference with President of Djibouti Omar Guelleh on Thursday.

Here is the full transcript of the speech given by Sisi

My Dear Brother, Your Excellency President Ismail Omar Guelleh,

President of the Brotherly Republic of Djibouti,

It is a great pleasure and privilege to be with you today in Djibouti and to be the first President of the Arab Republic of Egypt to pay an official visit to your brotherly country, a country that plays a pivotal role in its region.

I would like to thank you, my brother, Your Excellency President Omar Guelleh, for the warm welcome that we have received since our arrival and for the gracious hospitality accorded to us by your country and your honorable people, hence reflecting the long-standing, strong and strategic fraternal relations binding our two countries. Depending on a strong and mutual political will, these relations will be enhanced.

My brother, Mr. President,

I would also like to take this opportunity to express my sincere congratulations to the people of Djibouti for renewing their confidence in your wise leadership of the country through your re-election for a new term in office, wishing you success in your journey of building and stability.

I conducted with my brother, the President, fruitful and constructive bilateral talks in which we discussed ways to strengthen and enhance bilateral relations between Egypt and Djibouti at various political, economic, security, and military levels. We, therefore, agreed on the importance of pushing our relations to a new high by boosting bilateral trade and intensifying cooperation in the field of capacity building through training programs provided by the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development (EAPD).

In this context, we agreed on the importance of performing joint work toward providing the necessary support to increase Egyptian investment in Djibouti, allowing Egyptian companies to contribute to infrastructure projects, and facilitating the access of more Egyptian exports to the Djiboutian market as well as opening a branch of Banque Misr in Djibouti.

We further agreed on the importance of expediting the procedures for the establishment of the Egyptian logistics zone in Djibouti during the coming period to facilitate the export of various Egyptian goods and strengthening cooperation in high-priority sectors, particularly transport, port connection, and health. Coordination between the two sides is underway with a view to establishing an Egyptian hospital in Djibouti and so is cooperation in the field of fish farming.

We also agreed to intensify our efforts in the field of combating extremist ideology and training preachers by intensifying Al-Azhar’s activity in a way that contributes to enhancing stability in our Arab and African region.

Our meeting today is a culmination of our joint efforts over the past period to promote bilateral cooperation between the two countries, to develop an integrated strategic framework and a common vision for the various aspects and areas of cooperation as well as the ways to advance them in the coming period. This is an affirmation of our mutual political will in this regard which would pave the way for a new phase of the partnership between the two countries.

Our bilateral discussions today come in light of exceptional circumstances that the East and Horn of Africa is going through; the region is witnessing a number of disputes and conflicts alongside challenges of reinforcing security and stability in some of its countries. Thus, we discussed the overall regional situation and the challenges it poses; we agreed on the importance of strengthening cooperation to support regional security and stability. Furthermore, a joint action was agreed upon to avoid the spillover of some conflicts into neighboring countries, which might threaten peace and security in our dear African continent.

We also agreed on the importance of intensifying cooperation between the two countries regarding the security of the Red Sea as an important strategic artery of great importance to both sides.

The developments on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a file that touches the vital interests of the entire region, were further discussed. In this context, I stressed on the importance of reaching a fair and balanced agreement on filling and operating the GERD as soon as possible in a way that fulfills the interests of all parties and strengthens cooperation and integration between the countries and peoples of the region. Egypt stresses its rejection of any effort to impose a fait accompli through unilateral measures that do not take into account the interests and rights of the two downstream countries.

My brother, President Guelleh,

In conclusion, I would like to take this occasion to express once again my pleasure to be here with my brothers in Djibouti today and to thank your Excellency for the hospitality I received. I would also like to demonstrate my full confidence that the next stage would witness the consolidation of the partnership between our two countries based on our common vision and solid political will. I look forward to receiving you in the near future in your second country, Egypt, to continue consultations and coordination.

Thank you.