El-Sisi and Macron met on the sidelines of the second edition of the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership held on Tuesday at the Dead Sea, Jordan, Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said.

The summit was held with the participation of a number of Arab leaders, regional organisations, the European Union, and the UN.

The Egyptian and French presidents discussed issues of bilateral cooperation and consulted on regional and international issues of mutual concern, the statement said.

In a speech during the conference, Macron congratulated El-Sisi on the success of the 27th UN Climate Change Conference (COP27), held in Egypt’s Sharm El-Sheikh last month, in resolving part of the loss and damage issue.

"I congratulate my friend President El-Sisi, because Sharm El-Sheikh succeeded in bringing the world together and solving part of the issue of loss and damage which was absolutely key," Macron said.

Around 200 countries participating in COP27 reached a deal to establish a loss and damage fund to compensate vulnerable nations for loss and damage from climate-fueled disasters, a step widely described as “historic”.

On the sidelines of today’s conference, El-Sisi also participated in a five-way summit between Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, and France, said the spokesman.

El-Sisi delivered a speech at the Baghdad conference in which he reaffirmed Egypt's rejection of external interference in Iraq's affairs. He also stressed the importance of joint efforts to enhance the capacity of Iraqi institutions to maintain the country’s security and sovereignty.