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Sisi Says Construction in Sinai is the ‘First Line of Defense’

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi lays a wreath over President Mohamed Anwar El-Sadat's tomb (Egyptian Presidency)
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi lays a wreath over President Mohamed Anwar El-Sadat's tomb (Egyptian Presidency)
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Sisi Says Construction in Sinai is the ‘First Line of Defense’

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi lays a wreath over President Mohamed Anwar El-Sadat's tomb (Egyptian Presidency)
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi lays a wreath over President Mohamed Anwar El-Sadat's tomb (Egyptian Presidency)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said the reconstruction of the Sinai Peninsula is its "first line of defense" against the attacks of armed groups.

North Sinai has been a hub for extremist groups loyal to ISIS for years, and the area witnessed several terrorist operations following the protests on January 25, 2011. The attacks increased after the ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, before the Egyptian forces waged a fierce war against these groups.

The Egyptian government is working to bring about a "comprehensive developmental quantum leap" in Sinai in all service sectors, taking advantage of the "stability" after it "defeated terrorism," according to North Sinai Governor Mohamed Abdel-Fadil Shousha.

In a recorded speech on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the liberation of Sinai from the Israeli occupation, Sisi said that Egyptians view Sinai as "the jewel of Egypt's crown and this nation's source of honor and pride," adding that the day "forever remain embedded in the memory of our nation, revered for embodying the willpower and determination."

Sisi saluted Egypt's martyrs and "men of Egyptian diplomacy" who fought the battle of negotiation with patience and stamina to restore Sinai.

He also saluted the late President Mohamed Anwar el-Sadat, who took decisions of war and peace until the entire land was restored, "starting a new phase of construction in dear Sinai to serve as the first line of defense."

The President stressed that in the highly complex regional and international situation, "maximizing the capabilities of the state's comprehensive powers" is at the "top of the Egyptian State's priorities."

He reiterated that those who want "peace must possess the necessary power to protect it."

"As much attention is given to our military capability, we are also moving, in tandem, to elevate the rest of the state's comprehensive capabilities, the most important of which is its economic capacity," said Sisi.

Egypt aspires to establish a robust national economy capable of facing various crises and help achieve high growth rates that can provide many job opportunities, concluded Sisi.

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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.