Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi reiterated his country's position rejecting any aggression against Arab countries, and called for de-escalation in the region and a return to the negotiating table, during a speech he delivered on Thursday on the occasion of the 74th anniversary of the July 23, 1952 revolution.

Sisi stressed the need to 'refrain from using force, exercise self-restraint, cease escalation, and return to the negotiating table, in order to uphold the value of peace and protect the rights of peoples,' and called on world countries to 'make every effort to stop wars and conflicts, especially in the Middle East region, and confront destructive tendencies aimed at perpetuating hatred, bloodshed, and destruction.'

He also affirmed 'the need for serious and diligent efforts to achieve a just peace that ensures stability and prosperity for all peoples,' adding: 'History has proven that violence only brings more violence, and its known outcome is ruin and destruction.'

The Egyptian president's statements come amid continued escalation in the region and renewed confrontations between the United States and Iran after the failure to implement the 'memorandum of understanding' signed between the two parties, and amid escalating Iranian attacks on Arab Gulf states.

During his speech on the anniversary of the revolution that abolished the monarchy in Egypt and established the republican system, Sisi addressed a message to the Egyptian interior affirming that 'the future holds the best,' noting that the state continues to work diligently to build a promising future based on a scientific vision, while continuing to combat corruption in all its forms, and striving to consolidate the values of goodness and peace.

He added: 'Since 2014, Egypt has set out with unwavering determination and unshakable faith to embark on a comprehensive development march and the desired development befitting its status and its great people. We faced terrorism and defeated it, without stopping construction, and we solidified freedom of belief and built places of worship.'

He pointed out that Egypt continued its march despite the difficult circumstances, immense pressures, and unprecedented challenges surrounding it, in a region plagued by successive wars and crises, adding: 'Despite the huge economic losses incurred by the state due to factors beyond its control, it continued its path steadily, adhering to its supreme goal of building the future.'

He said: 'The state's success in maintaining Egypt's security and stability, and overcoming the crises and challenges it has faced and continues to face, would not have been achieved without the determination of the Egyptian people, their diligent work, patience, deep awareness of the magnitude of surrounding challenges, and their adherence to the stability of the state in the face of every threat targeting it.'