Arms deals aim to fix strategic imbalance in region - Sisi

SHARM EL SHEIKH – 9 November 2017: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi on Wednesday asserted that Egypt has made a number of arms agreements to fix the strategic imbalance in the region and to defeat terrorism.

In response to a question raised by the Associated Press (AP) reporter in Sharm el Sheikh, the president said Egypt has been engaged in a war against terrorism on behalf of the whole world.

He stressed the deals were necessary to make sure the military has the ability to confront sweeping changes griping the region.

"As long changes are taking place in Syria and Iraq, terrorists - such as Daesh group - are more likely to move into where they find favorable conditions," the president said.

In this case, they would try to form militias in these new regions, the president said, adding that the military deals were necessary to make sure the army is ready to block infiltrators.

"Today, the EU countries are aware of the dangers posed by the instability in Libya", he cited.

In the same context and commenting on a terror attack that took place on Wahat way near Giza, the president said the security forces managed to arrest one attacker and eliminate all other members of the group committed the attack which killed about 16 officers and soldiers.

The president said confession made by the detained attacker would be aired by media very soon. He noted that the group comprised 14 terrorists.

The country exerts increasing efforts to maintain security of more than 12,000-km-long border lines, he noted.