THE Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s recent tour of several Gulf states, including Kuwait, carries significant implications that can only be viewed with optimism, despite the sensitive international and regional challenges the region is currently facing. Egypt remains a cornerstone of joint Arab action, and its role in this context is vital. For 12 years, the Gulf states have been closely monitoring Egypt’s progress in various fields, including the performance of the new administration led by a man who took it upon himself to rescue his country from the turmoil and devastation left by the Muslim Brotherhood Group.
The rule of the “Brotherhood”, which lasted just one year, resulted in the systematic destruction of the economy and society, and severely strained Egypt’s relations with countries worldwide, as well as diminished its presence on both the Arab and international stages. Under President El-Sisi’s leadership, the administration worked tirelessly on multiple fronts over the past years to restore stability, beginning with securing the country, revitalizing the economy, addressing long-standing social issues, and ultimately restoring Cairo’s influential role in regional affairs.
Yes, Egypt has gone through difficult years, and no president of a country facing such crises could have overcome them so quickly without a strong belief in the ability to overcome challenges and a deep faith in the national spirit of the people. This is why we witnessed the establishment of an extensive railway and road network, a new capital, modern housing cities in Ras El- Hikma, El-Alamein, and the North Coast, as well as other major projects through Arab, international, and private partnerships, particularly those from the Gulf.
This policy had a profound impact on Egypt’s recovery from its economic slump. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) believed that supporting Egypt would also support the stability of the GCC countries, given the deep, historic ties between them. The GCC understood that any setback in Egypt would ripple across the entire Arab world due to Egypt’s strategic geographical and demographic position. This experience has proven that Arab partnerships are an important factor in strengthening cooperation between Arab countries, and in contributing significantly to the revival of their local economies. Similar to the American partnerships with Vietnam, Japan, and China, these partnerships have bolstered investment activities in these countries and helped them overcome several crises. Using sovereign funds among Arab countries has profound positive social and political implications.
This approach has been actively pursued by Egypt under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who spearheaded one of the most strategic revolutions of modern times - the economic revolution. In fact, all uprisings have clear and well-defined social, economic, political, and even military objectives. This is especially true for the June 30, 2013 revolution, which marked the beginning of a new era and corrected the course of a great and deeply rooted nation like Egypt. We must acknowledge that since 1952, Egypt has faced several crises that have left a lasting negative impact on society and its domestic and foreign political relations. These crises have shackled the Egyptian economy.
The rise of the Muslim Brotherhood Group to power only added salt to the injury, as they adopted illogical and nonsensical slogans aimed at radically altering the very nature of Egypt. They overlooked the fact that Egypt is a country of diverse beliefs and intellectuals, which shaped its unique character. Recently, we have observed that funds deposited by Gulf countries in Egyptian banks are being transformed into profitable investments. Meanwhile, opportunists, including politicians and members of the Muslim Brotherhood Group, thought they could turn back time, ignoring all the unprecedented achievements made during President El-Sisi’s era. Ultimately, only truth prevails, and great Egypt will remain steadfast, despite all the storms.
