Sisi flies to Davos to attend World Economic Forum

Wednesday 21-01-2015 10:14 AM
Sisi flies to Davos to attend World Economic Forum

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi addresses the nation in a speech - Handout

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CAIRO, Jan 21 (Aswat Masriya) – Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is flying to Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday to attend the 2015 World Economic Forum, which is held from Wednesday to Saturday.

The president is accompanied by a delegation of ministers and officials including the ministers of industry and trade, finance and foreign affairs, as well as the central bank governor.

Sisi's participation in the forum marks the first presidential participation by Egypt in 11 years. During the previous years, Egypt was represented by prime ministers, ministers and central bank governors.

Since his inauguration as president in June 2014, Sisi's administration has largely focused on fixing Egypt's battered economy, which has been suffering badly due to four years of political turmoil since an uprising toppled former President Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

The forum is hosting a special session on Egypt on Thursday, when Sisi is expected to deliver a speech, according to a presidential statement.

"The special session is among the highest levels of participation in the forum," said Presidential Spokesman Alaa Youssef in the statement, adding that such a session is only granted to a limited number of state leaders.

Sisi is also scheduled to attend a closed meeting with 52 international personalities on Friday. The meeting is held to discuss global efforts to combat violence and "extremism", the presidential statement read.

On the sidelines of the forum, Sisi is expected to meet with heads of states including Jordan's King Abdullah, Swiss President Simonetta Sommaruga and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Founded in 1971, the World Economic Forum is held annually to bring together political, business and academic leaders to "shape global, regional and industry agendas,” according to its website. 

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