Written by: Badr Ahmed

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi received a phone call today from President Emmanuel Macron of the French Republic.

The official spokesperson for the Presidency stated that the call addressed ways to strengthen the distinguished bilateral relations between Egypt and France. The President reiterated Egypt's pride in the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries and the growing momentum in these relations. He noted the warm popular welcome accorded to President Macron's recent visit to Egypt to participate in the inauguration of the new campus of Senghor University in Alexandria, which represented a further manifestation of the special nature of Egyptian-French relations at both the popular and official levels. For his part, the French President expressed his appreciation for the President's efforts to achieve comprehensive development in Egypt, commending his keenness to enhance Egyptian-French relations in all areas of mutual interest.

Details of the talks between the Egyptian President and his French counterpart

Ambassador Mohamed El Shenawy, the official spokesperson, added that the two presidents discussed during the call the latest developments on the regional and international arenas, where the President praised the great convergence of positions between Egypt and France regarding many issues of common interest, noting the French support for efforts to reach a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue and the crisis in Lebanon, where he reviewed Egypt’s efforts and vision in this regard. The President also pointed to the intensive contacts that Egypt is conducting with various concerned parties to ensure the success of efforts to reach a comprehensive agreement between the United States and Iran that prevents a return to escalation and leads to the restoration of security and stability in the region and the brotherly Gulf Arab states, stressing the parameters of Egypt’s position in this regard, which is based on the principles of international law and respect for the sovereignty of states and the resources of their peoples.

The official spokesperson indicated that the French President expressed his appreciation for the efforts made by Egypt and the President personally to restore security and stability in the region, while reviewing the efforts made by France to achieve sustainable peace and avoid the Middle East region sliding into chaos, stressing the need to open the Strait of Hormuz and lift any restrictions on passage through it, which the President appreciated, as the two leaders agreed at the end of their call to continue intensive coordination and consultation between the two countries to achieve regional security and stability.