CAIRO, Jan 20 (Aswat Masriya) – Egypt is "paying the price for the stability of the entire region" and it will emerge victorious, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Tuesday during an event celebrating Police Day.

Sisi delivered a speech during the event held at the Police Academy, celebrating the 63th anniversary of Police Day, which is due on January 25. He also honoured the families of security personnel killed in armed confrontations recently.

The president addressed the security confrontations in the Sinai Peninsula, where militant attacks targeting security personnel have significantly risen since the ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in July 2013.

Sisi said that 208 militants have been killed in the peninisula, without providing a time frame for the death toll.

"Military and security operations currently witnessed in Sinai … are an act of sovereignty and an [exercise] of the Egyptian state's rights," Sisi said, adding that such a right is reserved for all states.

The president added that facing "terrorism" in Sinai is a time-consuming process.

Sisi said Egypt is currently facing "exceptional" circumstances, in which human rights violations are bound to happen. He nevertheless added that such violations are "unacceptable".

The president said he is very keen on preserving human rights "because God will hold me accountable [for upholding them] before the people will."

The president noted that Egyptians' right to education, health and employment are yet to be fully met. "Will we restrict [calling for] rights to that of freedom of expression?"

Egypt enforced in November 2013 the protest law to regulate peaceful assembly. The law has long been the epicentre of wide criticism by domestic and international human rights organisations which say it violates international standards for peaceful protests.

Sisi said that protesting is allowed, yet added that "millions of Egyptians" demand different rights such as the right to life and the right to food.

"The state's efforts to achieve economic development will not be fruitful without a stable social environment," Sisi said, adding that the police apparatus helps maintain such environment.

Sisi addressed the police apparatus, saying that despite their efforts to maintain security and stability, "people must feel the change."

Police Day, January 25, is also the anniversary of the 2011 uprising which toppled President Hosni Mubarak. Activists had scheduled nationwide protests on January 25, 2011 to express their disapproval of security practices.