President El-Sisi’s Speech at Dinner Banquet with European Leaders

 

“In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful”

Mr. António Costa,
President of the European Council;

Your Excellencies and Honorable Leaders,
Leaders and Heads of Government of the Friendly European Countries;

Ms. Ursula von der Leyen,

President of the European Commission,

I extend my sincere gratitude and profound appreciation to Mr. Costa for his kind initiative in organizing this dinner. I am deeply pleased by the scale and level of participation from the friendly European Leaders and Heads of State and Government, and from the President of the European Commission. This gathering represents a unique opportunity for consultations and exchange of views regarding the course of bilateral relations, ways to further advance them, and regional and international issues of common interest.

This comes at a delicate international moment that necessitates that we all strengthen the bonds of understanding and cooperation to ensure a more stable and prosperous future for our peoples, our regions, and our shared neighborhood.

I would like to seize this opportunity today to emphasize to all distinguished attendees the significant attention that Egypt places on collaborating with the European Union to strengthen the existing Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two sides. This partnership is not viewed merely as being between Egypt and the institutions of the European Union, but also encompasses the full scope of bilateral relations between Egypt and all EU Member States, thereby serving the interests of the Egyptian and the European peoples alike.

I was deeply honored to participate today in the proceedings of the first-ever EU-Egypt summit. During the gathering, we emphasized our aspiration for this summit to represent a true starting point in the path of coordination, cooperation, and advancement of the Strategic Partnership between Egypt and the European Union in its broadest sense, establishing a model to be emulated in cooperation between the two shores of the Mediterranean.

Allow me to, once again, express my sincere gratitude to my friend President Costa and to all attendees for the generous hospitality. I wish us all a productive evening and constructive dialogue.

Thank you very much

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.