Statement by the Press Secretary on Egypt’s Transition to Democracy

This week, Egypt achieved several historic milestones in its transition to democracy. Yesterday, democratically-elected representatives of the People’s Assembly met for the first time since Egypt’s revolution, and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces transferred legislative authority to them. Today, Field Marshal Tantawi took steps to lift the state of emergency that has existed in Egypt for several decades. And tomorrow, Egyptians will commemorate the anniversary of the revolution that made Egypt’s transition to democracy possible. We congratulate the Egyptian people and their government on these important steps toward fulfilling the promise of Egypt’s revolution, which has inspired the world. While many challenges remain, Egypt has come a long way in the past year, and we hope that all Egyptians will commemorate this anniversary with the spirit of peace and unity that prevailed last January. The United States will continue to stand with the Egyptian people, and those across the region, as they defend universal values and work toward a better future for all Egyptians.