Washington, DC—U.S. Senator Jim Risch released the following statement after the resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

“As the ranking member of the Foreign Relations subcommittee that oversees Egypt and the Middle East, I have closely watched the calls for change and I applaud the Egyptian people for the courage to exercise their right to speak freely and the peacefulness of their demonstrations. This is a historic moment in Egypt and shows that, even in the Middle East, people desire freedom.

“President Mubarak’s departure is just the beginning of a long transition. Egypt’s position in the Middle East is crucial to security and stability, and the United States must remain committed to helping Egypt maintain this position. Now, the Egyptian people must decide their future, and when elections are held I hope the Egyptian people will reject all forms of extremism.”

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