UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, attended a dialogue session featuring Abdel Fattah El Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, at the World Government Summit (WGS) in Dubai.
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During the session, El Sisi spoke about the challenges he faced as President in his efforts to bring stability to Egypt after the political events of 2011. He praised the pivotal support extended by the UAE President.
Praising the UAE President’s leading role in supporting other Arab countries, El Sisi said: “His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed helped greatly in bringing stability to Egypt, as he visited the country in 2013, and was aware of the needs of the country. He ordered the transfer of ships carrying vital petroleum commodities through the Mediterranean to Egypt to help overcome the crisis.”
The Egyptian President urged Arab states to stand against any interference that aims to disrupt the strong ties in the region.
“Egypt has experienced immense challenges since 2011, which cost the state about $450 billion. Rapid population growth is another key challenge in Egypt. Recently, we have seen an increase of 25 million people, bringing the total population to 105 million people, compared to 81 million in the last decade,” he said.
El Sisi stressed that Egyptians were able to overcome a state of disintegration and despair after 2011 and achieve development.
“The Egyptian experience in achieving success and advancement must be shared, as it presents an example of the role of governments in confronting challenges.”
Electricity posed another major challenge in Egypt after the 2011 events, as the state spent 1.7 trillion Egyptian pounds to improve the sector.
The slow urban development has hindered Egypt’s growth with the people occupying only 5% of the country’s total area over the past 150 years, El Sisi said. To solve this pressing issue, the government has constructed 24 new smart cities and developed infrastructure projects.
El Sisi explained that the Egyptian government has made great progress in improving the health sector by implementing a national health program.
Egypt has completed infrastructure projects and road networks that saved the nation about $8 billion, he said.
Moreover, the Egyptian President added that the government developed a comprehensive plan in 2011 to improve the administrative structure of Egypt. The government has succeeded in providing more than 1.5 million job opportunities for citizens in its efforts to combat unemployment.
Also present at the session were Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah; Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai; Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah; and a number of dignitaries and senior officials.
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