Egypt’s Sisi seeks authorisation for defence assistance to Saudi Arabia
0 / 25
English
中文
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has called for an emergency parliamentary session to authorise him to approve any requests from Saudi Arabia for defence assistance, if Riyadh were to ask.
（暂无翻译）
Speaking at a graduation ceremony at the Egyptian Military Academy on Saturday, el-Sisi emphasised Cairo’s readiness to back the kingdom.
（暂无翻译）
Egypt will “carry out any measure to protect” Saudi Arabia “in accordance with the directives of His Majesty King Salman and the directives of the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman”, he said.
（暂无翻译）
“I know that this matter requires the approval of the Egyptian parliament, and I hope that parliament will convene in an emergency session to give us this authorisation, if it is requested of us,” he said.
（暂无翻译）
“I am not speaking in order for us to fight anyone or attack anyone. I am speaking only for defence.” The request follows a barrage of attacks on the kingdom from Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, including airports and oil facilities.
（暂无翻译） （暂无翻译）
Recent Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia have mainly targeted key infrastructure on the outskirts of the capital, Riyadh, but they appear to be edging closer to the city centre.
（暂无翻译）
Houthi attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport earlier this month killed 14 people and wounded more than 300.
（暂无翻译）
Houthi attacks have also been reported on other airports, including Dammam, Abha, Jazan and Najran. Yemen’s Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government launched a full-scale military campaign against the Houthis this month to recapture territory seized by them.
（暂无翻译） （暂无翻译）
El-Sisi had backed Saudi calls for secure and unhindered navigation in the Red Sea in a meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince, known as MBS, in Cairo last month.
（暂无翻译）
A statement from the Egyptian presidency then said that “the security of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states is an integral part of Egypt’s national security”.
（暂无翻译）
That meeting came just days after the Houthis seized Yemen’s Red Sea coast, gaining significant control over the Bab al-Mandeb strait, the southern gateway to the Suez Canal.
（暂无翻译）
Saudi Arabia already has a defence pact with Pakistan and Turkiye, known as the Mecca Alliance for Defence, which was signed in August.
（暂无翻译）
Earlier this month, the three countries agreed to activate “deterrence measures” under the pact and rapidly deploy forces to the Gulf kingdom to counter attacks by Yemen’s Houthis.
（暂无翻译）
Analysts say Riyadh is looking for help to protect the kingdom and Red Sea shipping and that Egypt, whose Suez Canal revenue depends on the same traffic, is an obvious partner.
（暂无翻译）
They say Egypt is eager to prevent Iran and its allies from imposing control over the region, especially over maritime traffic in the Red Sea, given the direct repercussions for the Suez Canal.
（暂无翻译）
Saudi Arabia has accused Iran of encouraging Houthi attacks against the kingdom, a claim Tehran rejects.
（暂无翻译）
Iran has offered assistance to halt the conflict between the two sides. Speaking to recruits at the Egyptian Military Academy in the New Administrative Capital on Saturday, el-Sisi also confirmed that he would not seek to extend his presidency beyond 2030, in line with the Egyptian constitution.
（暂无翻译） （暂无翻译）
“The period leading up to 2030 will be the end of my term as president of the state, if I am still alive,” he said.
（暂无翻译）
He added that his decision is “completely settled” and there will be “no discussion” about it.
（暂无翻译）
Egypt’s constitution was updated in 2019 to increase term length to six years from four, and to allow el-Sisi to run for another six-year term in 2023.
（暂无翻译）
That means his term is due to expire in 2030, and he is not allowed to run again. He said the Egyptian constitution “would not be touched”.
（暂无翻译） （暂无翻译）
仅供学习使用，如有侵权请联系删除 · 查看原文