Denis Korkodinov – Interview with Ahmed Fouad Anwar
Egypt has recently attracted particular attention of the international community due to the withdrawal from the “Arab NATO”. This event served as a turning point in the politics of Egypt, which became clearly independent of the influence of external forces. In addition, this allowed Cairo to significantly increase its prestige in the international arena, which became the guarantee of the so-called “Egyptian miracle” in almost all spheres of life. Moreover, Egypt began to actively dictate the rules of the international game to many regional players, primarily Turkey and Libya. And in the present conditions it is a mistake to assert that someone dares to ignore the opinion of official Cairo.
For World Geostrategic Insights, we talked about this with the Egyptian political observer Ahmed Fouad Anwar.
1. Recently, Egypt has increasingly made itself known, creating a positive image of the country in the international arena. To achieve this goal, the format of Cairo’s mutually beneficial partnership with various regional players, including Russia, is actively used. In addition, Cairo has proven itself in the fight against manifestations of international terrorism, which allowed to solve the problem of not only national security, but also attracting additional external investors. Is it really? What is the secret of the “Egyptian miracle” that allowed Cairo to actively gain strong positions in the international arena?
– Egypt began to regain its position and investor confidence after a series of very tough measures that were tantamount to surgical operations, including economic reform and subsequent exchange rate liberalization. This ultimately led to a significant decrease in the value of foreign currency and an unprecedented increase in Egypt’s foreign exchange reserves.
Among other things, the state managed to restore security and prestige amid the threat of international terrorism.
Based on this, it was logical that all of the above were external communications that contributed to the return of tourism to its highest levels.
In addition, the reform of the power supply system in Egypt and the launch of an impressive road network have helped pave the way for serious investors. Due to this, the needs of various sectors of society in electricity and roads were met.
All this together guarantees Cairo rapid economic growth and prestige in the international arena, which, however, is the envy of many of our partners and, above all, of the United States, which seek to upset the balance in Egypt.
2. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri, in a recent telephone conversation with the United Nations envoy to Libya, criticized the agreement on cooperation in the field of shipping and security, signed between Turkey and the Government of the National Accord of Libya. At the same time, the Egyptian politician noted that this agreement between Ankara and Tripoli will deepen the crisis and complicate the political process in Libya. Why is Cairo strongly opposed to the Turkish-Libyan agreement?
– As for the Turkish agreement with Fayez al-Sarraj, we consider it not in accordance with international law, since the areas opposite the Turkish beaches in eastern Libya are under the full control of the Libyan National Army. In addition, the Libyan parliament is located on this territory, whose deputies strongly reject the secret agreement between Ankara and Tripoli.
Therefore, Turkey cannot cross the red line, trying to repeat the scenario of Turkish Cypriots, which only Turkey recognizes. Moreover, Egypt prevented this step by supporting its armed forces and protecting the borders of the states both at sea, taa and on land, constantly training with Cyprus and Greece, which indicates the harmony of positions and coordination of actions in defense of our rights and wealth.
I believe that such ambitions are aimed at local consumption in order to hide the decline in popularity of Turkish President Recep Erdogan due to the decline in the value of the Turkish lira, especially after the UN accused Turkey and Qatar of violating the decision to prevent the sale of weapons to Libyans.
Libya and its coast are a historical continuation of Egypt, and even some of the names of Libyan cities come from the Egyptian language.
The changes in Libya affected by Egypt are a matter of time, as these are the laws of nature, geography and history. And Egypt can do a lot in Libya if it will be given a chance.
3. Egypt strictly adheres to the policy of expanding cooperation and coordination with all African states in the field of development and administrative reform. In this regard, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, together with Russian President Vladimir Putin, became the organizer of the first Pan-African Russia-Africa Forum, which gave Cairo an opportunity to improve business practices with African partners. What guarantees for Cairo can provide leadership in African politics? Why does Egypt need Russian participation to influence Africa?
– Russia is a great country. Russia’s influence in the world and the struggle it is carrying out against international injustice is a source of a new revival, which all countries and continents, including Africa, deserve.
I see that relations between Russia and Africa are historical. And we, the people of Egypt, are also Africans. We are united with Russia by the long history of the liberation movement. In addition, we have many joint projects, both in the field of economics and the military sphere.
President Al-Sisi has a very good relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. And since Egypt is now leading the African Union, cooperation with Russia is logical and necessary, given the experience and areas of cooperation between our countries. Due to the high trust between the two presidents, this is reflected in the regularity of direct meetings, the conclusion of many transactions and the agreement on several major future projects in Egypt.
It is well known that the veto right of Russia in the UN Security Council allows it to protect its interests and those of its friends in the international arena. In addition, Moscow is waging a successful fight against terrorists in Syria and offers its vision of maintaining the unity of Syrian lands.
All this had a positive effect on the atmosphere of the Russian-African forum in Sochi, which was headed by Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Vladimir Putin. This activity can bring excellent results in the economic, cultural and media terms in the coming period in such a way as to serve the interests of the Russian bear and the promising African continent.
Africa is part of Egypt and Russia. And so we are dealing with African brothers, capitalizing on our experience, since the influential presence of Egypt and Russia in Africa is natural.
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