Macron kicks off three-day visit to Egypt
French president Emmanuel Macron has begun a three-day official visit to Egypt, bringing with him four ministers, with security cooperation and the fight against terrorism expected to be high on the agenda.
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A number of multi-million-euro deals are expected to be signed during Macron’s visit, including renewable energy deals, agri-food, health, and transport.
The Elysée Palace said human rights will also be on the list of topics to be publicly discussed by Macron and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as the two countries work to strengthen their “strategic partnership.”
France considers Egypt a valuable partner in dealing with regional issues.
Talks between the two presidents are to begin on Monday, as Sisi meets Sudan’s beleaguered leader Omar al-Bashir on Sunday.
On the first day of his trip, Macron went to Abu Simbel to tour an ancient temple from the Pharaoh Ramses II era (1279 to 1213 BCE), accompanied by Egypt’s Minister of Antiquities Khaled al-Anani and Culture Minister Franck Riester.
France provided funds for the temple to be moved to safer ground more than 50 years ago, after Nile flooding endangered the archaeological site.
France is looking to participate further in archaeological digs such as the Saqqara necropolis, south of Cairo.
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