CAIRO, March 20 (MENA) - Armed Forces Spokesman Brigadier Gharib Abdel Hafiz asserted that the Armed Forces are ready to confront all challenges facing the Egyptian state.

He highlighted the steadfast stand of the Armed Forces toward protecting Egypt's national security against any threat.

The spokesman said there is intensive activity by all members of the armed forces to ensure their readiness, underlining that the armed forces are prepared to confront and deal with any threats and all challenges.

He made the remarks during a meeting with the Middle East News Agency (MENA) staff in the presence of MENA Board Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Ahmed Kamal, and members of the editorial board.

He asserted support for the political leadership in the current phase, highlighting that this is the real guarantee to overcome all challenges facing the Egyptian state.

He accentuated the importance of the Egyptian people's awareness of the current challenges besetting the nation.

Meanwhile, he stressed the unchanged political leadership's stance on the Palestinian cause since 1948, emphasizing the need to establish a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem (Al Quds) as its capital, to ensure regional security and stability.

He noted that the displacement of the Palestinian people from their land means liquidating the Palestinian cause, pointing out that Egypt has always been facing challenges on all strategic fronts.

He added that the Egyptian state has been fully vigilant about the situation, therefore the armed forces have been keen to develop their capabilities and armament systems over the past decade.

He referred to the scathing criticism over arms deals and the establishment of military bases during previous periods, noting that later it was proved that all actions taken by the armed forces were right in light of the schemes concocted against the country, especially in the post-2011 period.

The current developments have proven that the current battle is that of coexistence, he highlighted.

He pointed out that what Egypt is facing currently is something no state can bear, attributing the resilience of the Egyptian state to the development of the Armed Forces capabilities over the past decade.

The spokesman noted that the political leadership is well aware of the schemes being plotted, therefore it has prepared well-studied and preemptive plans.

He expounded that the armed forces work under a strategy based on three pillars; developing the skills of combatants, armament, and training.

He noted that the Egyptian combatant’s rock-solid belief has always been to defend the homeland to death “and this was behind the October war victory”.

The spokesman said Egypt has managed to wriggle out of previous crises and become stronger, but what it faces today is unprecedented.

Therefore, the political leadership has been keen to develop the capabilities of the armed forces, especially through diversifying its arms sources so that the armed forces would not depend on a single country for armament, he said.

He said the Egyptian air defense system is one of the most complex globally due to the diversity of its armament sources.

He highlighted Egypt's unique experience in fighting terrorists and success in eliminating terrorism and its causes.

He said Egypt managed to dry up the sources of terrorism while securing all national projects so that development plans would not be disrupted.

He recalled the challenges Egypt has faced during the recent period, including those following 2011, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian war, noting that the state succeeded in overcoming these crises through taking the necessary measures to address them efficiently and effectively.

He highlighted the impact of media on the Egyptian national security as raising awareness is vital for the unity of the Egyptian people to ward off dangers and challenges.

At the end of the meeting, MENA Board Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Ahmed Kamal gifted the agency's shield to the military spokesperson in appreciation of his role and efforts in conveying the true image of the armed forces to the Egyptian, Arab, and international public with complete transparency.

The spokesperson praised the vital role of the Middle East News Agency, the oldest news agency in the Arab and Middle East regions, in conveying the truth to the public and foiling schemes by rumor mongers, thus countering malicious propaganda against Egypt. (MENA)
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