Egypt’s president admitted that his country was going through an economic crisis and called upon citizens to face challenges ahead. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi also blamed the crisis on global problems linked to the coronavirus pandemic and the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Addressing Egyptians, Sisi urged the public to stop believing “nonsense” regarding the economic situation.
Sisi’s statements were made during the launch of the activities of the first conference of the National Alliance for Civil Development Work on Monday.
“The world and Egypt are currently facing pressure and harsh conditions on all people,” Sisi said.
Sisi wondered “if people are intimidated, then what will the result be?”.
He also stressed that this will not be in the interest of everyone, asking: “Will we abandon Egypt if the circumstances are difficult?”
He continued, “did we go to any unnecessary wars or commit to risks in which we wasted Egypt’s money?”
The whole world is facing difficult conditions, and the Russian-Ukrainian crisis and coronavirus pandemic within two years were not made by Egypt, as Egypt pays for these crises like the rest of the world.
President Sisi said that the importance of the role of all associations and entities operating within the framework of charitable work that provide assistance in areas that the government alone cannot fulfill, praising the well-coordinated and great role of the alliance, which has achieved great results.
He said that civil society organizations are playing a key role that the government cannot play on its own.
The president called on the alliance and all civil society entities to intensify their efforts during 2023.
Egypt continues to battle surging inflation amid a dramatic slide of its currency as many Egyptians struggle with price hikes.
The IMF approved the $3 billion support package for Egypt after a series of reforms, including the currency devaluation that saw the pound lose more than 40% of its value against the dollar since March 2022.
The US currency traded Tuesday at 27.5 pounds for $1.
