President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi stressed that protecting the homeland is a shared responsibility that begins with the Egyptian family, which was and will remain the basic pillar in building the Egyptian person and preserving his national identity.
The President said, during his speech at the celebration of the graduation of new batches from the military academy and colleges, yesterday: “Allow me at the beginning to extend my sincere congratulations to my graduating sons and daughters who today join the ranks of the Egyptian Armed Forces, the ranks of loyal men and women.”
He added: “The experiences and lessons that the region and the world have gone through have proven that preserving the national state and its stability requires strong institutions capable of protecting the capabilities of its people. In this context, the Egyptian Armed Forces represent the basic foundation of national security, as they assume the responsibility of protecting the homeland and preserving its stability. They are the nation’s shield and sword.”
The president said: “It is important for us all to realize that the armed forces are not a separate entity from the Egyptian people and are not an institution isolated from them, but rather an integral part of them, formed from the people of every home in Egypt, and expressing the will, values and aspirations of this great people.”
He continued his speech: “Hence, all the distortion attempts that targeted the Egyptian state sought to undermine citizens’ confidence in its national institutions, but the Egyptians’ awareness and awareness of the truth of what is being plotted against their country has always formed the impenetrable fortress that thwarted those attempts, preserved the cohesion of the state and its institutions, and enabled Egypt to overcome extremely delicate and complex stages.”
He continued: “From this standpoint, preserving our armed forces, preserving their status, and enhancing confidence in them is a national duty that falls on all of us by spreading correct awareness, clarifying the facts, and enlightening public opinion on the extent of the challenges and responsibilities that this ancient national institution bears.”
He explained that the mission of the Egyptian Military Academy is not limited to preparing officers and qualifying students of military colleges only, but rather extended to include building the Egyptian human being, and training and qualifying national cadres in various fields and specializations, through training and development programs that serve all state institutions.
He stressed that the strength of armies is not based on weapons alone, but is also based on knowledge, competence, discipline and commitment. The president continued that the Egyptian constitution will not be affected, adding that the end of his term as president of the state in 2030 is completely settled and will not be talked about, stressing that the Egyptian state is replete with its competent sons.
President Sisi said, in an intervention during the celebration: “Allow me to point out an important topic... and I ask everyone on the platform, and in the grounds of celebrations, and I also ask the great people of Egypt to hear me: A few days ago in the educational symposium I spoke about the dangers of the current stage and while talking about these challenges I mentioned that the Egyptian constitution will not be touched, and while we were at the academy two media professionals - Nashat Al-Daihi and Mustafa Bakry - spoke to me and said: Okay, then... Are you reassured by this? Hire? I have confirmed that this procedure is sound and that the end of my term as president of the state in 2030 is a completely settled matter and will not be talked about,” he added, adding: “I will not leave the Egyptian state unless it is full of its sons who are able to bear responsibility.”
He added: “Four years ago, we were talking about equipping the academy to prepare and qualify cadres for the Egyptian state, and today there will be another role for the academy, which is the responsibility of preparing another generation of leaders who will bear the responsibility of leading the Egyptian state.”
President Sisi continued: “When the constitution was drawn up in 2014, I insisted that it include a paragraph in it. Allow me to read it to you; It is that the armed forces belong to the people, and their mission is to protect the country, preserve its security and territorial integrity, preserve the constitution and democracy, and preserve the basic components of the state and its structure, the people’s gains, and the rights and freedoms of individuals, and that the state alone is the one that creates these forces, and it is prohibited for any individual, body, entity, or group to establish military or paramilitary formations, teams, or organizations, and of course the rest of the paragraph talks about the necessity of establishing laws that regulate these matters.
He said: “And the last of this paragraph talks about that there must be a law that regulates what I mentioned, and this paragraph, when we emphasized it in the constitution, was intended to fortify the Egyptian state against any attempt to penetrate or take over by people who do not bear responsibility for the state or do not know the meaning of a state.”
He added: “I insisted on this paragraph, and there was a discussion by the Constitution Drafting Committee on this paragraph, and I made it clear that this paragraph must exist because the armed forces are a reliable national institution responsible for the capabilities of this state, preventing transgression against the constitution or democracy, and protecting the state and its capabilities.”
President Sisi continued, “Until the end of 2030, there are about 43 months remaining. We are talking about 30 months of preparation for doctoral holders, whether from relevant Egyptian or foreign universities. We are creating an integrated mechanism for this, and the Speaker of the Egyptian Parliament is responsible for preparing it, and next to him is an elite group of trusted thinkers and politicians, as well as the Minister of Higher Education and the Minister of Justice, until a law is drafted that regulates the election of those who meet the conditions I am talking about, and they will remain in the academy for about 30.” A month to teach them the meaning of the state, its capabilities, and how to preserve it. The elite that will enter is an opportunity for the Egyptian people to vote and choose from them.”
President Sisi touched on attempts to sow division between state institutions, saying: Accusations were directed at the armed forces, and attempts aimed at creating a rift between the army and the police, and then between the army and the people, adding: “I am telling this point so that you know that this institution, with all those in it, are honorable and virtuous people, who care about nothing but their country, and that their homeland will be in peace and security. Therefore, the academy still has another role. It is preparing people who know What does it mean to preserve a state, but it is not anyone who speaks two consecutive words that we think is assuming responsibility for this state.”
President Sisi added: “I will bear this responsibility because God Almighty will ask me on the Day of Resurrection,” noting that “this committee will set selection criteria and I will say these words more than 40 months in advance so that no one will bid and say that I am preparing someone, whether from my family or my relatives... No, no... there is no such talk. The Egyptian state is a very large state and this talk is not done in it and does not suit it.”
He continued: “I need your support, and I am directing my words now to all Egyptians. I need your support in preparing people to lead this country, not only in the Presidency of the Republic, but in all specializations in the various ministries (ministers and deputies), in the governors and deputy governors, and in the relevant institutions, which cannot be risked by experimenting and learning.”
President Sisi added, “In order for things to be clear, for the figures who have worked with us for many years, I imagine that everyone who has worked in ministries for 6 years or more will be exempt from this condition, because he will have experience that qualifies him to assume as much responsibility as possible for a state, a ministry, or a prime ministership.”
He continued: “I would like to say these words to you in order to cut off all unnecessary talk and to assure you that there is an idea to prepare people.. Egypt is not futile in producing someone who can assume responsibility for the state, as long as we work to prepare, train and educate people so that they can bear this responsibility. I repeat it again, I need the support of the Egyptian people in the idea and no biased, traitorous or criminal will assume responsibility according to the text of the constitution, and we will not allow our country to be given to anyone.”
President Sisi said: “We must choose in an impartial and fair manner, and standards must be set that do not flatter or favor anyone...the sole goal of which is competence, merit, and the ability to choose,” adding that “the leadership cadre training program that will take place in the academy for 30 months - we are talking about more than 7,500 hours - will be borne by the armed forces as part of its role in preserving the Egyptian state, and that these cadres were estimated at about 400 or 500 individuals.” The cost per person exceeds 3 to 5 million per year, which we will pay, and in the end we will present the Egyptians with a group from which they can choose who will assume responsibility in the Egyptian state.”
He continued: “Admission tests will take place at the academy. We are talking about cadres between 40 and 50 years old, and I hope that the words that can be said in this proposal will be stopped at this stage.”
He said: “Allow me to talk about an important point in the events of 2011: the Egyptian state invaded the land, the reserves were all gone, the economy shrank, and there was no fuel or anything. In 2013, I am saying this, and please review this. We can never forget the stand of the brothers in the Gulf states by Egypt at that stage.”
He continued: “I will never be ashamed or embarrassed to offer my thanks and appreciation to our brothers in the Gulf: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait.” President Sisi called on the commander of the military parade column to present a military salute to the sisterly Arab countries.
