by Angy Essam
On Thursday 6 August 2015, the Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi officially opened the “New Suez Canal,” the nation’s flagship project to boost its economic recovery.
President Sisi signed the official document declaring the new waterway was opened for navigation, and announced the opening, “With God’s blessings, I, Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, President of Egypt, give permission for the operation of the New Suez Canal.”
He began by thanking “the martyrs who lost their lives for Egypt,” and greeting all the distinguished guests on behalf of all the Egyptian nation and government.
Then he supposed to read from the written speech, preferring to speak to them “heart to heart”.
“The new canal is one of a thousand steps that we–as Egyptians–are required to go through,” the Egyptian president continued, adding that the establishment of the new waterway was done under unusual circumstances amid destructive terrorism.
“History will record that Egypt faced, over the past couple of years, the most dangerous extremist terrorist ideology that could have ruined the land,” Sisi told the attendees.“But, no one could harm Egypt, if all Egyptians are unified,” he referred to Sheikh Al-Azhar, Ahmed al-Tayyeb, side-by-side the Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II.
“New Suez canal is not just an engineering achievement,” Sisi said, “rather it has proved to the Egyptians themselves that they are still able to do this.
“New Suez Canal will be just the beginning of a number of huge development projects around the canal region that would bring vast investments to the country.
“We promised the world to offer the New Suez Canal as a gift, and here we are keeping our promise in a record time, providing for the world an additional vein for prosperity,” Sisi said, adding that the new waterway will contribute to facilitating and developing international maritime navigation.
Before ending his speech, the first two commercial ships to cross the new Suez canal passed in the two directions, sounding their horns.
“Long live Egypt, and Long live those nations that love peace,” President concluded.