Lead:
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi addressed the police academy's 2026 graduation ceremony today, reinforcing Egypt's firm stance on Palestinian independence and rejecting interference in Saudi Arabian security. Speaking alongside Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli, the president outlined Egypt's regional priorities amid deepening geopolitical shifts, while separately conducting high-level diplomatic engagements in Thailand and meeting with Bahraini financial officials.
Details:
During remarks at the Police Academy in New Cairo, El-Sisi declared that Egypt's national security rests on its defense and interior institutions, warning against distortions of national memory. He stated that throughout meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since 2013, he has consistently advocated that Palestinian statehood would bring stability and peace to the region. According to El-Balad, the president emphasized that Egypt has invested significant effort to prevent conflict in Sudan, stressing that stability in Sudan, Libya, and Gaza represents a prerequisite for regional security.
El-Sisi reinforced that Egypt and Saudi Arabia's security is indivisible and that Cairo rejects any threat to the kingdom's stability, a direct response to recent Houthi missile attacks on Saudi airports. The coalition supporting Yemen's legitimacy reported 19 deaths and 364 injuries from these attacks, while separately confirming destruction of ballistic missile storage facilities in Sanaa's mountains. Parliament member Sagya Amro Hendi condemned the strikes as dangerous escalation threatening regional stability.
On the diplomatic front, Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Atti concluded a third ministerial committee session with Thailand, with Deputy Prime Minister Sihasak Fouangkitkeow hosting a working lunch featuring Egypt's Foreign Ministry and leading Thai corporations. Abdel Atti separately met Bahraini Finance Minister Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa to advance economic and investment cooperation. Ambassador Tamim Khalaff presented his credentials to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, signaling diplomatic coordination amid Lebanon's ongoing conflict negotiations. Lebanese President Aoun confirmed that ceasefire talks remain active, with goals of ending hostilities, achieving Israeli withdrawal, and recovering hostages and displaced persons.
Watch For:
— Whether El-Sisi's reaffirmed Palestinian position influences ongoing regional negotiations or Israeli-Egyptian discussions on Gaza's post-conflict architecture.
— The trajectory of Egypt-Thailand partnership expansion and whether working groups produce concrete investment or trade commitments.
— Lebanese ceasefire negotiations and any shift in international support following Khalaff's diplomatic mission to Beirut.