Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi speaks during a question answering forum at the fourth National Youth Conference in Alexandria on July 24, 2017 (Photo Courtesy of Egypt's Presidency spokesman)
Egypt will not relent in opposing those nations that sponsor terrorism, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Monday evening, during the Fourth National Youth Conference held in Alexandria.
He made the comments during a question-and-answer session, responding to a question about the blockade of Qatar.
“We will not backtrack and our persistence on this blockade is a pressure in itself,” El-Sisi told the audience.
He said that Egypt has always made clear in its foreign policy that it does not conspire against other countries nor interfere in their affairs.
“Throughout the past seven years, foreign interference in other countries' domestic affairs, as well as supporting extremist groups, has lead the region into chaos,” El-Sisi said, adding that Egypt was not so far from the same fate.
“That’s why we have been facing four years of combat with such extremist ideaologies," he elaborated, adding that Egypt will continue in its fight.
“Whoever supports terrorism should stop, whoever supports extremist groups should stop and bring a complete halt to their activities, not look for new ways to support it,” he said.
The comments from the Egyptian president come nearly a month after four Arab states – Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain – severed diplomatic ties and transport links with Qatar, accusing the oil-rich Gulf state of supporting terrorism and meddling in their internal affairs. Doha has denied the accusations.
Since the cutting of ties, the international community has urged dialogue, with Kuwait being the main mediator between the boycotting countries and Qatar.
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