President El-Sisi’s Speech at Joint Press Conference with France’s President Macron

alhadath – cairo

“In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful”

Your Excellency, Dear President Emmanuel Macron,

President of the Republic of France,

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is with immense pleasure that I welcome my guest, my dear friend, His Excellency President Emmanuel Macron, President of the Republic of France, and his distinguished delegation, on his high-level official visit to Egypt.

This visit is a demonstrable embodiment of the longstanding and constructive bilateral cooperation between Egypt and France across all realms that serve the interests of the two friendly countries. Today marks a significant milestone in our bilateral relations, as we announce the elevation of ties between our nations to the esteemed level of strategic partnership. This momentous step signifies a profound commitment to forging closer bilateral cooperation and unlocking new avenues for the achievement of our shared interests and the fulfilment of the aspirations of our peoples.

Ladies and gentlemen,

During our talks today, we discussed the enduring and historical relations between Egypt and France, tackling ways to further advance ties across all priority areas, notably with regard to fostering a vigorous expansion of French investments in Egypt. We underlined the crucial need to broaden the involvement of French firms in the Egyptian economy, leveraging their accumulated expertise developed in Egypt over the past decades. Furthermore, we stressed the necessity to build upon the outcomes of the Egyptian-French Economic Forum, which convenes today, to bolster joint cooperation and actively drive economic development.

President Macron and I concurred about the importance of implementing all aspects of our new strategic partnership, with a focus on providing mutual support for international nominations, enhancing cooperation in the localization of railway industries, technical and vocational training, Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, and green hydrogen production.

In our meeting, we confirmed the necessity to further enhance the existing cooperation between Egypt and France in the sphere of migration. We emphasized the importance of supporting Egypt in its resolute efforts to combat illegal migration, particularly given its role as host to over 9 million refugees.

In this regard, I convey sincere gratitude for the steadfast and supportive stance of France toward Egypt, which has been instrumental in the European Parliament’s recent adoption of the decision to release the second tranche of the macro-financial assistance package provided by the European Union to Egypt, which amounted to four billion Euros.

This stands as a powerful testament to the profound acknowledgement of the comprehensive and strategic partnership between Egypt and the European Union. It further stresses Egypt’s indispensable role as a cornerstone for stability in the Middle East and South Mediterranean regions as well as the African continent.

We anticipate the expeditious completion of the necessary procedures for the disbursement of this tranche at the earliest opportunity.

Honorable attendees,

French President Macron and I engaged in extensive deliberations regarding the momentous developments on the regional and international arenas, particularly the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip. We reiterated the paramount imperative of an immediate return to the ceasefire, to allow unfettered and urgent access for desperately-needed humanitarian aid and relief, and to secure the release of hostages.

During our talks, we affirmed our unequivocal and categorical rejection of any and all calls for the displacement of the Palestinian people from their land. Furthermore, President Macron and I reviewed the Arab plan pertaining to the recovery and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

We were aligned with regard to the urgent need to coordinate joint endeavors with respect to the conference on the reconstruction of Gaza, which Egypt intends to convene promptly upon the cessation of hostilities in the sector. During his visit, His Excellency, President Macron will be briefed on Egypt’s diligent efforts to mobilize humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. In this regard, I would like to extend appreciation and gratitude to the French side for its persistent and unwavering support for our Palestinian brothers.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I reiterate, with absolute clarity, that realizing stability and enduring peace in the Middle East will remain an elusive objective in the absence of a just and comprehensive settlement to the Palestinian issue and as long as the Palestinian people relentlessly suffer the ravages of devastating wars that deplete their resources and deprive their coming generations of their right, even to hope, for a more secure and stable future.

Within this framework, my discussion with President Macron focused on ways to launch a credible political prospect to revive the peace process and establish an independent Palestinian State, along the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. We welcome all endeavors in pursuit of this goal.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Our talks today addressed the developments unfolding in Syria and Lebanon. We affirmed the imperative of maintaining the unity and territorial integrity of Syria, and the necessity for the political process, during the transitional period, to be inclusive and representative of the entire spectrum of the Syrian people. In this regard, we strongly emphasized the inevitability of ending the Israeli occupation of the Syrian territories.

We also underlined our support for the new Lebanese President and government in their efforts to achieve stability and fulfil the aspirations of the Lebanese people. Furthermore, we stressed the essential need for all parties to commit to the implementation of the cessation of hostilities agreement, highlighting the utmost importance of full adherence to and non-selective compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

In our deliberations, President Macron and I also focused on developments in the dossier of water security. I underscored Egypt’s unshakable stance, grounded in the belief that the Nile River constitutes a historical and geographical bond uniting Nile Basin states. Therefore, Egypt remains dedicated to fostering cooperation among Nile Basin countries, upholding the principles of international law and ensuring shared prosperity for all. This is, while confirming the necessity of acknowledging the unique characteristic of Egypt’s complete reliance on the waters of the Nile River, the very lifeline of Egypt and its people.

Furthermore, we discussed the situation in Sudan, as well as developments in the Sahel and Horn of Africa regions.

We agreed on the need for stronger collaboration to bolster security and stability within these regions, thereby fulfilling the aspirations of their states and peoples for a more stable and prosperous future.

We emphasized Egypt and France’s keenness on the prompt restoration of normal navigation patterns in the Suez Canal. We further stressed the crucial need to ensure that commercial vessels do not resort to alternative maritime routes, which entails greater distances and increased costs, as a direct consequence of the attacks targeting some vessels in Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. These incidents are an outcome of the ongoing conflict in Gaza. This situation has regrettably resulted in a loss estimated at approximately seven billion US dollars for Egypt in Suez Canal revenues during the fiscal year 2024, in addition to its direct and detrimental impact on the flow of international trade and global supply chains.

My friend, Your Excellency President Macron,

It was a great pleasure to meet with you today. Once again I welcome you in Egypt. I am firmly convinced that your visit, along with the signing of agreements and MoUs across diverse sectors between our countries today, ushers-in a new and significant chapter in the advancement of the strategic cooperation between Egypt and France.

We are embracing a promising phase, heralding robust bonds of cooperation toward the realization of mutual benefit. Our fundamental objective is to foster the historical and deeply-rooted bonds of friendship between the Egyptian and French peoples.

Thank you