Sisi hails growing Egypt-France ties, reaffirms keenness to expand co-operation

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi praised the remarkable progress in Egyptian-French relations across various sectors and reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to further expanding co-operation with France in the fields of culture, tourism, antiquities and the arts.

The remarks came during President Sisi and President Macron’s tour of Alexandria’s Corniche waterfront promenade late on Saturday, accompanied by the Secretary-General of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), Louise Mushikiwabo, and senior international delegations, Presidency Spokesman Ambassador Mohamed el-Shennawy said.

The tour followed by a dinner banquet hosted by President Sisi in honour of French President Emmanuel Macron, the accompanying French delegation and heads of delegations participating in the inauguration of the new headquarters of Senghor University in Alexandria.

President Sisi expressed appreciation for the participating countries and their support for efforts aimed at boosting scientific and cultural co-operation among member states of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF).

The two leaders proceeded to the historic Citadel of Qaitbay, where they received a briefing on the fortress’s history from Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy.

They also attended a detailed presentation on underwater archaeological excavations linked to the remains of the ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria. The presentation was delivered by Mohamed El-Sayed, chief inspector at the General Administration of Underwater Antiquities at Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, and Dr Thomas Faucher, Directeur du Centre d’Études Alexandrines, affiliated with the French Ministry of Research. The two officials reviewed a number of archaeological and historical artefacts recovered from different eras, the presidency spokesman said.

For his part, President Macron expressed deep appreciation for visiting the historic city of Alexandria, describing it as a global beacon of knowledge and culture and a longstanding centre for Mediterranean co-operation throughout history, Ambassador Shennawy said.

The French president also reaffirmed France’s keenness to further deepen cultural ties between the Egyptian and French peoples in support of the strategic partnership between the two countries.