Emmanuel Macron received his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sissi at the Élysée. This visit, the 18th of the Egyptian president to France since taking power in July 2013, is part of an expansion of bilateral economic cooperation.
France shares the same point of view with Egypt on the fight against terrorism and on a number of regional issues such as Libya, Syria, Lebanon or the Palestinian issue.
The Élysée still considers Egypt an important country for peace and stability in the Middle East. This country, like the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, is a ” strategic partner ” from France. Sissi, according to a presidential statement, wishes ” deepen this partnership “.
On the discussion table were, according to the Elysée, regional problems, bilateral cooperation and the means to strengthen them. The questions of energy and food security against the backdrop of the Ukrainian crisis were also at the heart of the discussions. Egypt is the leading importer of Russian and Ukrainian wheat, and the impact of this crisis is hitting it hard. On the other hand, its gas exports to Europe have increased since the start of the war in Ukraine.
For the major infrastructure projects currently being carried out in Egypt, France’s expertise is necessary. Bassam Radi, spokesperson for the Egyptian presidency, expressed his country’s desire to “ develop relationships at all levels with Paris.
In addition, discussions took place between the Egyptian guest and Bruno Le Maire, the French Minister of Economy. They focused on the field of energy, particularly renewable energy. Cairo is organizing next November in Sharm el-Sheikh, the new COP27 world summit devoted to the climate.
This visit of Westerners’ favorite dictator as US President Trump liked to define it, was an opportunity for human rights defenders to call on President Macron to work for the release of political prisoner Alaa Abdel Fatah, on hunger strike for more than a hundred days.