Former Minister of Defense and Military Production, Lieutenant General Sedki Sobhi, revealed the behind-the-scenes details of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s summoning of former President Mohamed Morsi, when he was Minister of Defense, after the latter insulted the army.
Sobhi said in televised remarks that President Sisi took a clear stance when the Muslim Brotherhood began talking about the armed forces, and summoned former President Mohamed Morsi to the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Defense, and during the meeting he affirmed his refusal to harm or insult the Egyptian army.
He pointed out that Sisi spoke at the time with confidence and firmness, to emphasize that the armed forces were a red line, and that preserving their status and national role was among the priorities of the military leadership at that stage.
He continued, saying: “Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, after the Muslim Brotherhood started saying bad things and mentioning the armed forces, what did he do? He brought Dr. Mohamed Morsi to us at the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Defense.”
He continued: "It was a day that no one can ever forget. He spoke with the utmost confidence in the whole world, and said: 'There is no such thing as someone speaking about the Egyptian army in an incorrect way.' He spoke words that pleased God, and of course we remember how Dr. Morsi stood on that day."
Sobhi spoke about the important role played by Sisi and the Egyptian Armed Forces during the events of the June 30, 2013 revolution, stressing that this stage was a turning point in the history of the Egyptian state.
He explained that Sisi’s presence at the head of the armed forces at that time was a decisive factor, and that “if Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the armed forces had not been present at that time, and had not been following everything that was happening, Egypt would not have come out of this stage.”
