Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi giving a speech during the fifth anniversary of the June 30 revolution (Photo: Al-Ahram)
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said in a televised speech on Saturday that 30 June was a remarkable day in Egypt's history and that "Egyptians must be proud of the achievements made."
In his speech marking the fifth anniversary of the mass protests that led to the ouster of Mohamed Morsi, El-Sisi said that the country has been able to confront challenges and counter terrorism.
“Egypt celebrates the fifth anniversary of the revolution of 30 June 2013, when the great Egyptian people spoke with a loud and audible voice, making the world bow with respect to their will, which changed the course of the region from the path of evil, exclusion and terrorism to peace, security, and development,” he said.
El-Sisi said that the will of Egyptians is what “stopped the wave of extremism and division that was sweeping the region, which some thought had prevailed.”
Terrorism, the economy
The president said that the absence of security and political stability, the spread of terrorism and armed violence, and the collapse of the economy were the main challenges produced by the “turbulent years that Egypt and the region have experienced since 2011.”
“Every Egyptian should be proud of what Egypt has accomplished in confronting these three challenges in a timely manner, and we have almost achieved miracles,” he said.
Speaking about security and stability, El-Sisi said that many reforms had took place to rebuild the national executive, judiciary and legislative institutions.
“We have succeeded in curbing terrorism, stopping its spread despite the considerable external support that terrorist groups receive in funding and political support,” said El-Sisi.
In terms of economic conditions, he said that “Egypt's foreign exchange reserves in June 2013 were less than $15 billion only, and the economic growth rate at the time was about 2 percent, which is less than the rate of population increase, which means that the size of the Egyptian economy was not growing.”
El-Sisi said that currently Egypt's foreign exchange reserves had risen $44 billion, the highest level in Egypt's history, and the GDP has risen from 2 percent to 5 percent.
“We aim to continue this rapid growth in the next few years to reach 7 percent.”
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