Sisi stresses importance of Egypt's security

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi affirmed his keenness on preserving Egypt's security, saying that if Egypt collapsed this will push the whole region into abyss.

“If the state collapses, that would cause terrible harm to Europe and the region would face a disaster," Sisi told Spanish daily "El Mundo" in an interview published on the eve of his official visit to Spain.

He further affirmed that he abides by democracy, adding that Egyptians are ready to practice it.

"Democracy simply means the will of the people and the freedom of choice," Sisi said.

“I do what I can to protect the Egyptians. I try not to arrive at situations that I could regret,” he added.

“Egyptians can break with Sisi if they wish. If I had not intervened, there would have been a civil war,” he went on to say.

The president stressed that the Egyptian people sought change to protect the identity and potentials of their State.

Sisi, meanwhile, said that the Muslim Brotherhood is a minority, adding that the Egyptians are now united to protect the State.

Asked about who stand behind what is called "Islamic state" organization, Sisi said that the terrorist groups are receiving aid under the pretext of establishing a state and a country.

This organization uses religion as a tool to attain political goals, he added.

"We should stand united to confront this situation, as this affects the region, Europe and the whole world," Sisi said.

He further warned of the spread of terrorism, adding that political and economic efforts are not enough to confront terrorism.

Regarding terrorism in Sinai and the number of jihadists there and news about the existence of members of the so-called Islamic state organization in Sinai, Sisi said that "there are no members of the Islamic state organization in our land. We exert efforts to protect civilians and you have a wrong picture of the situation in Sinai."

He further said that there is terrorism in Sinai but in a specific area in North Sinai, which is near to the Gaza Strip.

The total area of Sinai is more than 60,000 square kilometers, Sisi said, adding that the last Arab Summit was held in Sharm el Sheikh in South Sinai.

The Egyptian army is in Sinai to protect citizens, Sisi said, adding that the US was in Afghanistan for 10 years and its forces were in Iraq from 2003 to 2010 and still terrorist acts are carried out there.