Mohamed Morsi — Address to the 67th UN General Assembly, 26 September 2012 (official English text)

Coming here today and addressing the General Assembly carry meanings reflected in the fact that I am the first Egyptian civilian President elected democratically and freely, following a great peaceful revolution hailed by the world. This revolution established a genuine legitimacy, through the efforts of all Egyptians […].

We have taken several steps on the road towards establishing the modern state the Egyptians aspire for. One that is in tune with the present, is based on the rule of law, democracy, and respect for human rights, and does not compromise the values firmly embedded in the souls of all Egyptians. A state that seeks justice, truth, freedom, dignity and social justice.

[…] The first issue which the world must exert all its efforts in resolving, on the basis of justice and dignity, is the Palestinian cause. […] the Palestinian People [… longing for] building their independent state, with Jerusalem as its capital. […]

The will of the people, especially in our region, no longer tolerates the continued non-accession of any country to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty […]. And I say it very clearly: the only solution is to get rid of nuclear weapons, and all weapons of mass destruction. But we also emphasize the right of all countries of the region to the peaceful use of nuclear energy within the framework of the NPT […].

Egypt would like to stress that the international system will not get fixed as long as the application of double standards remains. We expect from others, as they expect from us, that they respect our cultural particularities and religious points of reference, and not seek to impose concepts that are unacceptable to us […].

[…] Egypt respects freedom of expression. One that is not used to incite hatred against anyone. One that is not directed towards one specific religion or culture. […] But we also stand firmly against the use of violence in expressing objection to these obscenities.