Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi welcomed Wednesday at Almaza military airport in Cairo the seven freed soldiers kidnapped by militants on the Sinai Peninsula last Thursday.

Defense Minister Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, Interior Minister Mohamed Ebrahim, Chief of Staff Sedqui Sobhy, and Prime Minister Hesham Qandil along with other senior officials of the state also welcomed the released security personnel.

Morsi has delivered a speech after shaking hands with the freed security recruits, hailing the efforts exerted by the armed forces, interior ministry, and intelligence to end the crisis of the abducted soldiers "without spilling a single drop of blood."

"I want to congratulate my sons, who were exposed to aggression, and their families on the peaceful release," said Morsi.

"The state's different institutions set an example of cooperation and integration in planning and dealing with such crisis," Morsi said, praising the armed forces' and interior ministry's quick deployment capability.

Morsi also gave thanks to Sinai's people who cooperated with the state's authorities, and called all Egyptians to unite and cooperate for the sake of the nation's development.

"The process of releasing the kidnapped soldiers isn't just a short process...We will continue our way to achieve security and development in Sinai," said Morsi.

"We want to see stability in Egypt. We aren't war mongers, but we are capable of protecting our borders," he added.

"We will work on Sinai's security. No extremist measures would be taken in Sinai that lies in every Egyptian's heart," he added, stressing the importance of punishing the criminals who were behind the kidnapping.

The President also urged all the people in Sinai who hold arms to deliver those arms to the police and army, stressing that anyone holding arms illegally would be punished.

Also, Morsi renewed his call for all parties to hold dialogue saying "We all have the same message which is to bring major development without looking behind."

Last Thursday, a group of militants abducted seven military and police recruits in North Sinai's Green Valley, some 20 km away from the governorate's capital of Arish, demanding the release of their family members who were kept in Tora prison.

Egyptian President Morsi refused to hold dialogue with the kidnappers while the hostages' families appealed to the president and all concerned officials not to launch an attack that might risk the lives of their abducted relatives.

On Wednesday morning, the militants released the soldiers after efforts exerted by security authorities and elders of the tribes and families of Sinai, and the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip was reopened after five days of closure following the kidnapping.