Speech by President El-Sisi at the Opening Session of the National Dialogue

The great people of Egypt,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Distinguished guests,

With appreciation and pride, I salute you for meeting to engage in dialogue and exchange visions.

We seek the welfare of our dear homeland and desire to shape the features of our new Republic, a modern democratic state, which we, Egyptians, seek. We seek to set, for our children and grandchildren, a road map for a promising and bright future that befits them.

Ladies and gentlemen,

My invitation to the national dialogue, which I launched during the Egyptian Family Iftar, comes from a firm belief I have. Our Egyptian nation possesses the capabilities and potential that provide it with multiple alternatives to find pathways for progress in all areas, politically, economically and socially. Our precious Egypt, possesses competent minds, sincere intentions and the will to work, which makes it at the forefront of nations and states. Our dreams and hopes impose on us to get along, unite to work, and reach agreement.

The growing challenges facing the Egyptian State at all levels have strengthened my determination to hold a dialogue, which I aspire that it becomes inclusive, effective and vibrant, including all views, bringing together all perspectives and achieving tangible and studied results on all issues at all levels.

Over the past year, since I called for the national dialogue, I have followed closely, with great interest, the preparatory measures and the process of creating the atmosphere necessary to launch it. I stressed, in your presence today, and that is what I have stated before, that differences of opinions won’t spoil countries. I assure you, nevertheless, that the scale of diversity and the difference of visions and proposals strongly enhance the efficiency of the outputs I wait for from all of you, a distinguished group bringing all members of the Egyptian society together.

I salute again all participants in this esteemed national experience.

I call on you to make efforts to succeed, to face and analyze problems and issues, and to find solutions and alternatives to them, wishing Allah Almighty to make our efforts a success. I affirm my continuous support for this dialogue and for providing all the means to make it a success and activating its outcomes, within the framework of democracy and active political practice. I look forward to participating in its final stages.

In the end, I wish you success and prosperity in this great national mission and I would like to thank and express my appreciation to all those involved in organizing it. Our dear and precious Egypt deserves our effort, sweat and blood, and that we unite for our love to it. Egypt is the ends and means, always.

Long live Egypt, long live Egypt, long live Egypt.

Thank you, May Allah’s peace, mercy and blessings be upon you.