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Sisi: social media driving a wedge between Egypt and Gulf

February 14, 2023 at 1:54 pm

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi [Dubai Media Office/Anadolu Agency]

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has accused social media platforms of driving a wedge between his country and the Gulf states, especially the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Speaking during a roundtable held on the sidelines of the World Government Summit (WGS) in the UAE, Al- Sisi said: “Without the support of our brethren in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, Egypt would not have stood up again.”

The president went on to single out Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, highlighting his management of oil and fuel aid shipments to Cairo since 2013.

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“Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed came to visit Egypt, and the first time I saw him people were standing in lines in Egypt, and there was no butane, gas, gasoline and diesel,” Al-Sisi said, adding: “Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed came with a delegation and knew what was required without anyone telling him.”

The Egyptian president added that ships had been diverted from the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, containing butane, gas, diesel and gasoline to support Egypt.

“Do not allow social media to affect our unity,” he continued, expressing his rejection of “attempts by some pens to undermine the unity of Arab countries.”

The Emirati president is one of the closest supporters of his Egyptian counterpart since the latter’s coup against Egypt’s first democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

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