UAE leaders congratulate Egypt's president on revolution anniversary

Seventy years ago, Egypt became a republic

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said the 1952 revolution changed lives in Egypt and the region. AP

President Sheikh Mohamed has congratulated Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on the 70th anniversary of the July 23 Revolution.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, also sent messages to Mr El Sisi and Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Wam news agency reported.

Egypt marked on Saturday the 70th anniversary of the 1952 revolution, which turned the country from a hereditary monarchy into a republic.

Mr El Sisi congratulated Egyptians in a speech aired on TV.

“The glorious July 23 was a culmination of a long struggle led by the Egyptian people in defence of their right in a homeland whose head is held high,” the state-run Ahram Online news site quoted the president as saying.

Mr El Sisi said the revolution led to the creation of Egypt’s first republic and radically changed life in the country and in the region.

The revolution had “inspiring contributions to the global movement of decolonisation and consolidating the right of peoples to self-determination,” he said.

He added that the “flags of freedom and independence rose above most Arab and African countries” after the revolution.