French President Francois Hollande arrived Cairo today on an official visit.
The French leader is in Egypt on the invitation of his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and they are expected to undertake the signing of a host of key trade and energy agreements that demonstrate the growing cooperation between the two countries.
Sisi said on Sunday that the “cooperation between the two countries in all international fields” need to be expanded, including on transportation, renewable energy and “terrorist” threats.
As part of its deal with France, Egypt will receive fighter aircraft and navy vessels. In the past two years, the Egyptian government has spent billions of dollars on French weapons and other hardware as part of efforts to bolster its military.
Hollande said the two countries need to boost ties “in the political field, in the economic and cultural fields, and even the… tourism field”.
The French president said he and Sisi had discussed security issues in the Middle East and North Africa, including in Libya, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, as well as Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.
“We cannot hide the fact that the situation in the Middle East is serious and that terrorism has deep roots,” he said. “We must fight with determination … and that’s why we have signed security agreements for the region between France and Egypt.”
Sherif Ismail, Egyptian Prime Minister said that Egypt and France would sign around 30 agreements which cover grants for developmental projects for the supply of natural gas to homes, the establishment of a centre for electrical energy and the setting up of solar-powered stations.
