Tag: Abdel Fattah al-Sisi

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Sisi meets Erdogan in Turkey

El-Sisi’s official visit, which began yesterday in response to President Erdoğan’s invitation, aims to lay the foundation for a new phase in bilateral relations…reports Asian Lite News

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi emphasised that his current visit to Türkiye, along with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s earlier visit to Cairo, reflects the shared will to initiate a new phase of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

El-Sisi expressed his great pleasure at his first visit to the Republic of Türkiye and his meeting with President Erdoğan, noting that the historical relations between the two nations date back to the establishment of the Turkish Republic by leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

The Egyptian presidency affirmed that El-Sisi’s official visit, which began yesterday in response to President Erdoğan’s invitation, aims to lay the foundation for a new phase in bilateral relations and to enhance cooperation in various fields.

Ambassador Ahmed Fahmy, the official spokesperson for the Egyptian Presidency, stated that this historic visit represents a significant step towards strengthening bilateral relations in light of regional challenges that require consultation and coordination between the two countries.

The visit is expected to include the two presidents chairing the first meeting of the Egypt-Türkiye High Level Strategic Cooperation Council .

During the meeting, the two sides will discuss ways to enhance cooperation across various fields and exchange views on regional and international issues, including efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and address the humanitarian crisis there.

“All aspects of Turkey-Egypt relations will be reviewed, and joint steps that could be taken in the upcoming period to further improve bilateral cooperation will be addressed at the Council meeting,” the statement said, adding several agreements are expected to be signed during the meeting.

The two leaders’ talks will also include discussions on “current regional and global matters, particularly the ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories,” the statement noted.

The visit follows Erdogan’s trip to Cairo in February, signaling a thaw in bilateral ties after years of hostility. Relations between Turkey and Egypt soured after the ouster of former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 and the subsequent banning of his Turkey-backed Muslim Brotherhood group, which led both countries to expel each other’s ambassadors.

Ties between the two countries began to improve in 2020 when Ankara launched a diplomatic effort to reduce tensions with its estranged regional rivals, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.

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Sisi Warns of Regional War

Egyptian president warns ongoing escalation in Middle East may lead to regional war…reports Asian Lite News

 Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi warned that the continuation of the current escalation in the Middle East is putting the region at risk of a possible regional war.

Sisi made the remarks during a phone call with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement.

During the phone conversation, the two leaders discussed the situation in the Middle East and the Gaza Strip, according to the statement.

Sisi reviewed the latest developments pertinent to the Egyptian efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and provide humanitarian aid, stressing the need to end the tragedy that the Palestinian people face immediately.

He added that it was important for the international community to undertake a decisive role in the international recognition of the Palestinian state in a way that supports peace in the region and the two-state solution.

For his part, the Bulgarian president expressed appreciation for the Egyptian efforts to calm the situation in the region and his willingness to continue coordination and consultation with Sisi with the aim of contributing to restoring security and peace in the region.

Muslims cause

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called on Muslim states to take joint actions to force Israel to stop its “crimes and genocide” in Gaza.

He made the appeal during talks with visiting Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Tehran, according to a statement by his office.

“Muslim states and all those countries that are committed to international law and frameworks stand together and, through taking joint actions, manage to force the supporters of Israel into reining it in and stopping its crimes and genocide in Gaza,” said Pezeshkian.

Applauding Qatar’s efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, he said that while all legal international regulations were constantly being violated in Gaza, the countries “claiming to be advocating human rights” chose to remain silent in the face of those “crimes” and even supported the ones perpetrating the violence.

Tensions in the region have been heightened recently as Iran and its allies vowed to take revenge for the killings of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah’s military commander Fouad Shokor last month.

Haniyeh, who was in Iran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Pezeshkian, was killed on July 31 along with his bodyguard when their residence in Tehran was attacked, one day after the death of Shokor in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut.

Hezbollah unleashed hundreds of missiles and drones against Israel early Sunday morning in vengeance for the killing of Shokor while Israel claimed conducting a series of “preemptive airstrikes” targeting Hezbollah’s rocket launchers in southern Lebanon.

Iran has not made its retaliation yet, but a response to the assassination of Haniyeh will be “definitive, measured and well calculated,” Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi said on X on Sunday night.

“We do not fear escalation, yet do not seek it,” he added.

Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Mohammad Baqeri also vowed on Monday that the revenge is “definite,” semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

Baqeri said Iran would decide about its revenge for Haniyeh’s assassination itself, and the resistance axis, as was seen on Sunday, would act separately and independently.

He described the “cowardly” assassination of the Hamas chief in Tehran as an “unforgettable” incident, saying Iran would not fall into the trap of the enemies’ media “provocations.”

During talks with Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Brown on Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said, “Iran’s aggression has reached an all-time high”

To counter this, Israel and the United States “must work together to achieve and project groundbreaking capabilities in all arenas,” a readout of his office quoted Gallant as saying. ■

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Suicide Drones

 Hezbollah claimed that it targeted Israeli “spy equipment” at the Ramyah site in northern Israel with a suicide drone, achieving a direct hit.

“In support of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and their resistance, our fighters targeted the spy equipment at the Ramyah site with a suicide drone, hitting it directly,” the Shiite group stated.

Military sources in Lebanon, speaking anonymously, told Xinhua that Israeli drones and warplanes carried out 12 airstrikes on border towns and villages in southern Lebanon on Monday. The strikes targeted a car and two motorcycles, causing only material damage.

They added that an Israeli drone fired two air-to-ground missiles at a vehicle traveling on the main road in the Abra area, setting the car on fire. The driver, reportedly a leader of a Palestinian faction, survived the attack.

Israeli artillery shelled 16 border towns in southern Lebanon, destroying 11 homes and damaging around 24 others, with no casualties reported.

Since early Sunday morning, Israeli and Hezbollah forces have engaged in extensive exchanges of fire along the Israel-Lebanon border, marking a significant escalation in their conflict.

Hezbollah has announced it launched hundreds of missiles into Israel in retaliation for the killing of its commander, Fouad Shokor, in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut last month. In response, Israel reported conducting numerous preemptive airstrikes targeting Hezbollah’s rocket launchers in southern Lebanon.

Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border have intensified since Oct. 8, 2023, when Hezbollah launched rockets toward Israel in solidarity with Hamas’ attack on Israel the day before.

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Al-Sisi Urges Immediate Ceasefire Amid Middle East Escalation

New Delhi, Jan 21 (ANI): (File picture) Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi will visit India to be a chief guest in the Republic Day celebrations and signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Egypt in areas ranging from agriculture and digital. (ANI Photo)

The Greek Minister highlighted the pivotal role of Egypt as “an indispensable cornerstone for stability in the Middle East”…reports Asian Lite News

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi has warned against the danger of the military escalation in the Middle East region on multiple fronts, the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement.

During a meeting with the visiting Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, Sisi reiterated “the vital need to defuse the current critical situation through an immediate and urgent ceasefire in Gaza Strip and enforcing the delivery of humanitarian aid,” according to the statement released on Wednesday.

Sisi emphasised that Egypt will continue its unyielding efforts to support the people in Gaza, provide them with aid and relief, and work towards calming the situation, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Greek Minister highlighted the pivotal role of Egypt as “an indispensable cornerstone for stability in the Middle East”.

The two sides also agreed on the imperative need to move quickly towards a just and comprehensive settlement for the Palestinian cause, which is the central issue in the region and the path toward achieving peace, security and stability.

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 24,448, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive in Gaza to retaliate against a surprise Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, when about 1,200 people were killed, according to the Israeli tallies.

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Sisi Sweeps to Third Term as Egypt’s President

Following the counting of votes between December 10 and 12, the National Elections Authority of Egypt said that Sisi won 89.6 per cent of the votes….reports Asian Lite News

Egypt’s National Election Authority (NEA) has declared that incumbent President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi won the 2024 presidential election with nearly 40 million, or 89.6 per cent of valid votes.

At a press conference in Cairo, Chairman of the NEA Hazem Badawy said on Monday that nearly 44.8 million citizens at home and abroad voted in the election, out of around 67 million eligible voters, representing a turnout of 66.8 per cent, which is “the highest turnout in Egypt’s history”.

Hazem Omar, who leads the Republican People’s Party, won 4.5 per cent of the vote, followed by the Egyptian Social Democratic Party’s Farid Zahran, and the Egyptian Wafd Party’s Abdel-Sanad Yamama, Xinhua news agency reported.

Following the announcement of the election’s results, Sisi gave a speech to the nation, in which he said “choosing me for the mission of leading the country is a responsibility that I bear faithfully”.

“The state is grappling with a multitude of challenges across all levels,” on top of which is the conflict in Gaza that threatens “Egypt’s national security,” he added.

“We own the military and economic capabilities for persevering the national security and the people gains,” the Egyptian President said.

Voting in Egypt took place on December 10-12 while Egyptians abroad cast their vote on December 1-3 in 121 countries.

The result is final as the incumbent candidate’s winning a large majority to waive the country of a run-off, according to Egyptian laws.

UAE, India Congratulate Sisi

The Supreme Council Members and Rulers of the Emirates have congratulated Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on his re-election.

Their Highnesses the Rulers, Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi of Sharjah, Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi of Ajman, Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi of Fujairah, Sheikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mu’alla of Umm Al Qaiwain, and Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi of Ras Al Khaimah, sent separate cables of congratulations to the Egyptian President today.

Their crown princes and deputy rulers sent similar cables of congratulations.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated Egypt presidential election winner Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for the third time and expressed his hope to further deepen the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Taking to X, PM Modi said, “Warm congratulations, Excellency @AlsisiOfficial on your victory in the Presidential elections. Look forward to working with you to further deepen India-Egypt Strategic Partnership.”

Egypt Monitoring Red Sea Tensions

Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority (SCA) announced it was closely monitoring the impacts of military tensions in the Red Sea, following major carriers taking alternative routes due to safety concerns.

SCA Chairman Osama Rabie said in a statement that maritime traffic was normal in the canal connecting the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, reports Xinhua news agency.

He added that the SCA was closely evaluating the impact of certain shipping lines temporarily shifting their routes to the Cape of Good Hope.

In recent days, at least four major freight firms said to reduce or suspend passage through the Red Sea due to repeated attacks from Yemen’s Houthi militia on commercial vessels in the area since the Israel-Hamas war broke out on October 7.

Rabie said only 55 ships have rerouted via the Cape of Good Hope route since November 19, compared with the passage of 2,128 ships through the Suez Canal during the period.

He added that 77 ships crossed the Suez Canal on Sunday, including some ships belonging to shipping lines that announced the temporary diversion.

Rabie affirmed that the Suez Canal would remain the fastest and shortest route for vessels transiting between Asia and Europe, as time saved in sailing could range from nine days to two weeks, depending on ports of departure and arrival.

As the first shipping line alerted by the attacks, Danish logistics giant Maersk on on December 15 advised its fleet to halt all voyages through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a narrow sea passage near Yemen, which holds immense strategic significance, serving as a major artery for global oil shipments and as a crucial gateway to the Suez Canal.

Maersk cited alarm over the “deteriorating situation” and “serious risks” to the safety of ships and crew.

Its decision will likely impact global supply chains, given that the company owns one of the world’s largest container vessel fleets.

Other shipping leaders, including Switzerland’s MSC, France’s CMA CGM, and Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd, quickly followed suit, expressing similar worries over maritime security in the region.

On December 16, MSC said its container ship MSC PALATIUM III was attacked at 9.37 a.m. a day earlier while transiting the Red Sea under sub charter to Messina Line, prompting it to pause transit through the Suez Canal until the Red Sea passage is safe.

The Iran-backed Houthi militia has claimed responsibility for several cross-border missile attacks towards Israel, as well as the hijacking and attacking of Israel-bound commercial ships in the Red Sea since the Gaza war.

The Suez Canal, which carries 12 per cent of global trade, serves as one of Egypt’s main sources of foreign currency.

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Sisi and King Abdullah Urge ‘Immediate Stop’ to Gaza War

The leaders have warned that any expansion of the war could “send the region into a slippery slope” and called for the war “to immediately stop…reports Asian Lite News

Jordan’s King Abdullah and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi have voiced their opposition to a possible Palestinian exodus as a result of the conflict in Gaza.

The two leaders “affirmed that any attempt at the expulsion to Jordan or Egypt is rejected”, official Jordanian TV said after the two leaders met in Cairo.

The leaders have warned that any expansion of the war could “send the region into a slippery slope” and called for the war “to immediately stop,” according to the Jordanian TV.

During their meeting in Cairo, King Abdullah and President El Sisi “emphasised their rejection of collective punishment like blockading, starving or evicting the Palestinians from their lands … They also warned against the extreme danger of such plans on regional security.”

King Abdullah’s visit to Cairo comes days after he toured London, Rome and Berlin to warn of the impact of Israel’s retaliation on Gaza, in response to the Hamas attack on October 7.

Recently, Jordan had cancelled a four-way summit between the US, Jordan, Palestine and Egypt in the wake of the Gaza hospital bombing.

The monarch was set to welcome US President Joe Biden to Amman on Wednesday, along with other Arab leaders.

But Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority cancelled the planned meeting with Biden less than 24 hours before he was set to arrive for the four-way summit.

The cancelation followed a blast in Gaza City’s Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital.

While Palestinian officials accused Israel of hitting the hospital with an airstrike, Israel laid out evidence that it said shows a misfire by militant group Islamic Jihad caused the blast.

While speaking in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, Biden supported Israel’s explanation, citing US intelligence, CNN reported.

A spokesperson for the National Security Council later said that analysis of overhead imagery, intercepts and open-source information suggested that Israel was “not responsible”.

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Egypt’s Sisi to Run for Third Term in December Polls

President El-Sisi is largely predicted to win the election at a time when the middle eastern country is dealing with an economic crisis, record inflation, and a dramatic depreciation of the local currency, reports Asian Lite News

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has announced that he would run for a third term in the next election in December, according to Al Jazeera.

El-Sisi is largely predicted to win the election at a time when the middle eastern country is dealing with an economic crisis, record inflation, and a dramatic depreciation of the local currency.

“I have decided to nominate myself to complete the dream during a new presidential term,” el-Sisi said, making the announcement during a televised speech on Monday evening, according to Al Jazeera.

“I call on all Egyptians to participate in this democratic scene to choose with their patriotic conscience who is worthy,” he said.

An estimated 65 million Egyptians are reported to be eligible to vote in the election, which will be held over three days from December 10 to 12. Egyptians living abroad will be able to cast their ballots on December 1-3.

A few politicians have already declared their candidatures for presidency, but none of them offer a real threat to el-Sisi, who has been in power since 2014.

Ahmed al-Tantawi’s campaign, who is the most well-known possible challenger to el-Sisi and a former member of parliament, has stated that voters were prevented from endorsing him, according to Al Jazeera. To run for office, prospective candidates require 25,000 public signatures or the backing of 20 lawmakers in a parliament that is overwhelmingly pro-Sisi.

El-Sisi, a former army chief who has been president since 2014, had been widely expected to run again and secure a third term after constitutional amendments four years ago that would allow him to stay in office until 2030.

In recent weeks supporters have mounted a campaign using billboards and public messages urging El-Sisi to stand reported Arab News.

El-Sisi came to power after leading the ousting of Muhammad Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013. He was announced winner of presidential elections in 2014 and 2018 with 97 percent of the vote. (ANI)

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