Africaupdated 1h ago2 min read
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi Seeks Emergency Parliament Authorization To Defend Saudi Arabia
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Sisi calls for emergency parliamentary session to authorize defending Saudi Arabia if needed. Egypt pledges to take any measures to protect Saudi security and sovereignty.
10 outlets told this the same way.
Sisi seeks emergency mandate
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said Egypt will not allow any breach of the security or stability of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and called for an emergency session of parliament to grant him authorization if needed to take steps to protect the Kingdom. Sisi told the graduation ceremony of a batch of cadets from the Egyptian Military Academy in the New Administrative Capital that Egypt does not seek war or to attack any party, but moves to defend.
Sisi said Egypt will implement any measure to protect and defend its brothers within the framework of directives from King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Sisi stressed that the security and stability of the Kingdom cannot be a subject of tolerance, and he urged all Gulf region parties to work to stop the ongoing war.
Defensive action, not attack
Sisi said Egypt is ready to implement any measure that Saudi Arabia requests to defend its security and sovereignty, and he added that Egypt stands firmly to protect the lands of its Gulf brothers and defend them. Sisi said, “We stand firmly to protect the lands of our brothers in the Gulf and fully support the protection of our brothers' territories in the Gulf,” while he also said Egypt is not seeking to enter a war or launch attacks against another country.
Sisi linked the decision to constitutional procedure by saying that “the measures to protect Saudi Arabia and defend it require the approval of parliament,” and he hoped Parliament would meet in an extraordinary session to grant authorization. Sisi also said Egypt will not fight or attack, and it will defend only Saudi Arabia, while he framed the proposed measures as strictly defensive.
Regional security stakes
Sisi recalled Gulf support for Egypt after 2013, and he said oil and gas shipments and cooking gas and wheat reached Egypt without cost during a severe economic crisis.
Sisi warned against repeating the conditions that followed 2011, saying protests, strikes, and sit-ins caused losses amounting to $450 billion while cash reserves were depleted and tourism and resources declined.
Dr. Mohamed Al-Tamawi said Sisi’s messages tied Saudi security to Egyptian and Arab national security, stating that “Saudi security is an essential part of Egyptian and Arab national security.”
Al-Tamawi said threats to freedom of navigation extend beyond military aspects and can increase economic pressure through higher transport and insurance costs and disruption of trade and investment flows.