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Arab Gulf ‘frustrated’ with Egypt’s Sisi

December 28, 2016 at 11:21 am

President of Egypt Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi (L) meets Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) on 1 December 2016 [Egyptian Presidency / Anadolu Agency]

Abdulkhaliq Abdullah, adviser to Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed, said that the energy rich states of the Arabian Gulf hold “frustrated” and “resentful” feelings towards Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, Anadolu reported yesterday.

“[Al-Sisi] represents a political and financial burden,” Abdullah said. However, he emphasised that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states are not currently thinking of abandoning the Arab world’s largest country “due to its importance.”

In an interview with Turkey’s state-run Anadolu, Abdullah said: “The size of Gulf aid to Egypt since July 2013 has exceeded $20 billion, but this did not have a positive effect on the life of the Egyptians.”

On 3 July 2013, Al-Sisi, the then defence minister, carried out a military coup against the first freely elected Egyptian leader, Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. Saudi Arabia and the UAE were the main Arab supporters for Al-Sisi’s putsch.

“The Gulf states have invested so far more than $20 billion in Egypt, while they themselves are in urgent need for this money in light of the decline in oil prices and the war in Yemen,” Abdullah said.

The official stressed that the GCC looks upon Egypt as an important country and that “its stability is part of the stability of the Gulf.” However, Abdullah also questioned exactly “how much will we spend in Egypt?”

He noted that Egyptian anti-corruption efforts had not improved since Al-Sisi became president, citing this as another reason for GCC frustration.