Sisi addresses means of fighting suicide in lecture in Portugal

Visiting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on Tuesday addressed means of fighting terrorism in a lecture he gave in the Portuguese Military Academy during his current visit here.

The president asserted in his lecture that Islam is innocent from extremism and that terrorist groups are disguising under the cloak of Islam to undermine the national State and loot the resources of countries.

He further asserted that the Egyptian religious institution of Al Azhar is exerting all efforts for standing up to extremist ideas through spreading the moderate thought of Islam.

The president further highlighted the necessity of fighting illegal migration through ending armed conflicts in several countries that lead to the fleeing of citizens of these countries to European coasts.

The president underlined the necessity of forming an international coalition for fighting terrorism.

He added that it is no secret that different strategic challenges that are facing the international community are associated with injustice of the distribution of the fruits of international economic growth between developed and developing countries.

Other challenges are related to the security aspects such as the spread of armed conflicts which provide a fertile environment for the spread of terrorism and extremist ideologies, he added, noting that this situation constitutes the most dangerous challenge as it is threatening the lives of innocent people and their right to enjoy safety and security.

"At the first quick glance at the current active terrorist organizations in the international arena we will find that the approach adopted by terrorist organizations in Western countries and Europe in the past is almost the same which is adopted by organizations that are using religion as a cloak for their terrorist operations", said the president.

Though different in names, these organizations have no difference in thought and ideology, said the president, adding that they use the same extremist terms of reference.

The president explained that Egypt, while fighting terrorism and extremism, was keen on undertaking the job within the legal framework and respect of international human rights conventions out of its faith in the importance of adherence to the values of freedoms and the principle of the State of institutions.

Egypt, added the president, is presenting a model example to be followed for a State whose institutions are working together for defending the principle of the national State amid a very volatile regional context that is plagued with attempts to undermine the national State.

All these challenges require the international community to outline a comprehensive strategy for fighting the warped ideas and tendentious ideologies disseminated by terrorist groups on several electronic websites, said the president.

The president underlined the necessity of reaching an international agreement on the necessary measures for indicting all attempts instigating hatred and violence on electronic websites and other modern means of communication.

Also, added the president, all international efforts should be pooled together for preventing supplying terrorist groups with funds and arms.

He underlined also the necessity of seeking political settlement to current armed conflicts given the fact that these conflicts provide a fertile context for the spread of terrorist groups.

The lecture was attended by the Portuguese minister of defense and the Armed Forces chief of staff along with the top commanders of the naval, air and ground forces.

Source: MENA