Gulf security is a red line, Egypt Parliament Speaker says

[EgyptianAmerican]

Abu Dhabi: The Egyptian Parliament’s Speaker stressed his country’s support to the Gulf states and rejected any threat to them, or meddling in the region’s affairs.

Dr Ali Abdul Aal said on Monday that the Gulf’s security is a red line.

“The security of the Gulf — the UAE in its heart — is the security of Egypt, and the security of Egypt is the security of the Gulf,” Dr Abdul Aal told a press conference alongside Dr Amal Al Qubaisi, Speaker of the Federal National Council.

Dr Abdul Aal stressed that other nations should not interfere in Gulf regional affairs. “Gulf security inseparable to Egypt’s strategic security,” he said.

Dr Abdul Aal said when Egypt’s political leadership and its parliament pledge something, they really mean it. “Egypt has a powerful military made up of land, air and naval forces that are capable of defending Egypt’s and the Arab security.”

He specifically pointed out to Iran meddling in Yemen, Iraq, Syria and elsewhere in the region.

The Global Firepower Index (GFI) ranked Egypt’s military as the 11th most powerful worldwide, ahead of Israel, Vietnam and Brazil, in a list of 127 countries with the most powerful military in the world for 2017.

The GFI criteria ranks the countries based on more than 50 factors, including each country’s military budget, its manpower, the amount of equipment each country has in its respective arsenal and its natural resources.

The Speaker said Egypt was waging a war against terrorism on behalf of the whole world.

He stressed that Egypt’s stability and its triumph in combating terrorism is crucial to the stability of the whole region, including Europe.

“Egypt does not only fight terrorism, but also undergoes the challenge of building up its infrastructure, economic, social and cultural reforms,” Dr Abdul Aal said.

The Speaker of Egypt’s parliament said that elections for the planned March 26-28 vote for president is free and fair.

Dr Abdul Aal quashed doubt that Egypt’s upcoming presidential election will be neither free nor fair, because of the arrest of former military chief of staff Sami Anan shortly after announcing that he would run for president.

“Many of the presidential candidates were not serious. They just made an announcement on the media, but they never really run for elections. It’s nothing really except they were showing off.”

Dr Abdul Aal said that no one is detained arbitrarily or held incommunicado in Egypt, despite the emergency law which grants broad powers to security forces during the fight against terrorism.

He said Egypt’s courts only issue an arrest warrant to summon or bring in for questioning a person charged with criminal offences and at the same time there is always a reason for detention.

Dr Al Qubaisi reaffirmed the UAE’s support to Egypt in its fight against terrorism and extremism, a common war to spread peace and stability across the world.

The UAE and Egyptian top parliamentarians discussed ways to strengthen fraternal cooperation and strategic relations between the two countries as well as a number of regional and international issues.

They signed a memorandum of understanding on the UAE-Egypt parliamentary friendship group.