CAIRO: “I can admit the Egyptian policemen have performed some violations but we need to work together to develop their performance,” President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi told the German TV channel ZDF Friday.
Sisi has arrived in the Hungarian Capital Budapest Thursday evening at an invitation from Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. His trip to Hungary followed his 2-day visit to Germany, where he met with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Joachim Gauk and discussed bilateral cooperation.
“The security conditions in Egypt might force some officers to violate at some point, but we are seeking assistance from the UK and Germany in order to develop our officers’ performance,” Sisi said, adding that “Egypt needs your support on our war on terror in Sinai, we achieved between 80-90 percent of our military plan but still we can do more.”
Egypt has witnessed a significant rise in militancy since the military-backed ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 following mass protests against his rule. According to the Interior Ministry, militant attacks have killed more than 500 security personnel since then.
“Also we fight on different fronts, the deteriorated security conditions in Libya force both Germany and EU countries to support Libya’s legitimate government and military,” Sisi said.
Egypt and Libya are linked by a shared land border stretching nearly 1,200 kilometers, he added.
In February, Egyptian airstrikes mounted raids on some Islamic State (IS) targets in Libya following the incident of beheading 21 Copts in Libya’s northeastern city of Derna.