Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi said, on Sunday, that reclaiming the Sinai Peninsula goes beyond being a military and diplomatic victory, and has become a timeless example of conquering despair and frustration.
In a televised speech, Al-Sisi asserted that the “war was not Egypt’s aim, but peace was the ultimate goal and supreme target”, with the liberation taking place to restore dignity militarily and politically. Al-Sisi’s remarks came as Egypt marked the 39th anniversary of the Sinai Liberation Day on 25 April.
This day is celebrated each year to commemorate the full withdrawal of all Israeli military forces from the Sinai Peninsula in 1982, following the 1979 US-brokered Camp David peace accord.
The accords were signed after the Egyptian army’s victory over Israeli occupation forces in the October 1973 War.
Al-Sisi affirmed that the anniversary “will remain proof of the heroism and sacrifices of the Egyptian military, the cleverness of the Egyptian negotiator in preserving the soil of the homeland, and protecting its dignity with solid determination”.
Sinai has always represented a strategic depth for Egypt, and enjoys a firm position in the hearts of all Egyptians, he said.
The President added that Sunday’s celebration generates renewed momentum to work on protecting every inch of the nation.
“The liberation anniversary [of Sinai] represents an inexhaustible source from which future generations draw the meanings of pride, struggle, loyalty and affiliation,” El-Sisi said.
In line with a decision made by the Egyptian Government in 2020, Thursday has been marked as a national holiday to mark Sinai Liberation Day. Last year, the government decided to grant Thursdays as a day off in the case of national holidays falling on weekdays.
The President, moreover, stressed that Egypt’s current battle of construction and development is no less important than the previous war.
He explained that the development battle obliges all Egyptians to cooperate in order to protect the country’s capabilities and preserve its sanctities. This is to effect a change in the current reality, and achieving a better future for the next generations.
“My confidence in the great people is limitless, and our ambition for tomorrow will be achieved with our hands today,” President Al-Sisi said.
