Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi commemorated on Saturday the 75th anniversary of the Battle of El-Alamein in Marsa Matrouh at a ceremony attended by representatives from 35 countries that participated in the famous World War II battle. The Mediterranean town is about 100 kilometres (62 miles) west of Egypt's second biggest city of Alexandria, "Today we are in El-Alamein, the land of peace, to commemorate the anniversary of the WWII battle where thousands died, and we renew our vow to keep the peace," El-Sisi said in a speech. The president said that the sacrifice of thousands of lives at El-Alamein contributed to peace in the world and the Middle East, which is currently witnessing many crises that threaten the nation state itself. El-Sisi stressed the importance of the international community exerting more effort to meet the legitimate demands of the people, adding that the New El-Alamein City, which is set to be inaugurated, is a model for the importance of peace and development. The Egyptian president was set to inaugurate New El-Alamein City on Saturday, however, this was postponed in wake of the Western Desert shootout between police and terrorists on Friday. New El-Alamein City is planned to be a residential, touristic, agricultural and industrial hub at investments of EGP 40 billion. The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, Minister of Defence Sedky Sobhi and Speaker of the House of Representatives Ali Abdel-Aal, as well as ambassadors from a number of European countries. During the ceremony, Australian Governor-General Peter Cosgrove and Vice-Chair of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Tim Lawrence stressed the importance of the Battle of El-Alamein, praising Egypt's role in contributing to peace. El-Sisi also visited the El-Alamein Military Museum, which has displays including arms used in the historic battle.
