French President Emmanuel Macron was in Egypt this week for a three-day visit during which he met with President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi to discuss the war in Gaza and economic cooperation between Cairo and Paris.
Macron attended a tripartite summit in Cairo alongside Al-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II to discuss ending the war in Gaza. On Tuesday, Macron and Al-Sisi made a trip to Arish, the capital of North Sinai close to the Egypt-Gaza border, to affirm opposition to US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to forcibly displace Palestinians from their land.
On Monday, Macron and Al-Sisi inked a Strategic Partnership Agreement which aims to reinforce political, economic, and cultural relations.
Former assistant foreign minister Mohamed Hegazi told the media that the Strategic Partnership Agreement implies coordination between the two countries will not be limited to political issues but cover economic and cultural relations. This was reflected in the number of agreements signed during the trip and the high-level delegation accompanying the French president, which included the ministers of foreign affairs, defence, economy and finance, health, transportation, culture and scientific research, and a large group of business leaders.
Egypt and France signed agreements on health, transport, and energy, which Macron said would help shore up Egypt’s stability amid volatility in the region. Al-Sisi said Egypt values its partnership with France and is working hard to benefit from its expertise: “We welcome French companies and businessmen to invest in Egypt… Egypt offers great opportunities.”
Al-Sisi also highlighted the upgrading of Egypt’s infrastructure over the last decade, particularly in the energy sector, ports and roads, updated business legislation and economic reforms while Macron reaffirmed France’s commitment “to ensuring the stability of Egypt given the context of a worsening climate in the region and as the Egyptian economy faces challenges” and said that Paris will back talks between Egypt and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Commission.
“I emphasise France’s unwavering support and strong and sincere wish to contribute to the development and prosperity of Egypt and its people because this is of strategic importance to France and Europe,” he said.
The French Development Agency (AFD) — France’s overseas aid development arm — signed 262 million euros worth of loans and grants to Egypt in areas such as transport, health, water, and energy.
The Egyptian-French Business Forum, which met on Monday, will play a lead role in fostering closer economic relations between the two countries. Macron stressed that France is the leading European investor in Egypt outside the hydrocarbon sector, with investments totalling more than seven billion euros.
Figures released by the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics on Sunday show that economic relations between Egypt and France have grown remarkably. The volume of trade reached $2.9 billion in 2024, up from $2.5 billion in 2023. Egyptian exports to France reached $1 billion in 2024, compared to $855.4 million in 2023, while Egyptian imports from France reached $1.8 billion in 2024, up from $1.7 billion in 2023.
Hossam Heiba, CEO of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones, noted that France is one of Egypt’s major partners, with French investments in the country exceeding $7 billion and contributing to the creation of more than 50,000 job opportunities. He said more than 180 French companies operate in the Egyptian market and there are promising opportunities for French investments in clean energy, digital transformation, infrastructure, transportation, health, and technology.
Al-Sisi and Macron attended the inking of a long list of MoUs on Monday. They included memoranda to establish 100 French schools, the Gustave Roussy Centre for cancer treatment in Cairo, and to continue cooperating on Cairo Metro Line 6 for which an action plan was signed in December. The two sides also signed a joint declaration to move forward with four investment projects and cooperation agreements between their health and higher education ministries.
Local and French private businesses signed 12 agreements during the Business Forum covering healthcare, transport, water and renewables.
Egypt’s Defence Minister Abdel-Meguid Saqr and his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu met on Tuesday to discuss military cooperation. A recent report by the French Embassy in Cairo on the modernisation of Egypt’s Armed Forces noted the “acquisition of 54 Rafale aircraft, two Mistral-class amphibious helicopter carriers, a FREMM-class frigate and four Gowind-class corvettes, three of which were manufactured at the Alexandria Naval Workshop”, saying the “solid industrial and military partnership” had built trust between the two countries.
Speaking during a press conference with Al-Sisi at the Ittihadiya Palace on Monday, Macron said “in the field of defence, which is at the heart of cooperation between Egypt and France, Egypt was the first to trust our Rafale aircraft, and many countries followed suit.”
The French presidential plane was escorted by Egyptian Air Force Rafale fighter jets as it entered Egyptian airspace in a symbolic display of the new strategic partnership between the two countries. Macron wrote on his X account: “I arrived in Egypt accompanied by the Egyptian Rafale fighters which are a powerful symbol of the strategic cooperation between our two countries” and attached a photo of the fighter planes escorting his plane.
President Macron toured Old Cairo on Sunday evening, joining President Al-Sisi on a walk through the historic Khan Al-Khalili bazaar. The two leaders strolled through Al-Hussein Square, pausing outside the Al-Hussein Mosque where crowds gathered to greet them. Surrounded by tight security, the presidents mingled with vendors, bazaar and shop owners, and passersby. Video footage showed them smiling, conversing with locals and posing for photographs.
President Macron also visited the Grand Egyptian Museum near the Giza Pyramids which houses over 100,000 ancient artefacts and is due to officially open on 3 July.
Sayed Hanafi, a member of the board of the Egyptian-French Chamber of Commerce, said Macron’s visit to Old Cairo and Khan Al-Khalili not only expressed the depth of relations between Egypt and France but served to highlight Egypt’s culture, civilization, and stability in a region beset by conflicts. “The stroll through Khan Al-Khalili is an invitation to French tourists, especially those who love culture and antiquities, to visit Egypt,” said Hanafi.
On Monday, Al-Sisi and Macron visited the Adli Mansour Interchange Metro Station, touring the major transport hub, and reviewing the facilities and services that will benefit millions of Egyptians. Al-Sisi praised the close cooperation between Egypt and France in the transport sector, highlighting the role of French companies in implementing key transport projects, particularly in Greater Cairo.
Hegazi says that while Macron’s visit to Cairo was focused on establishing a strategic partnership with Egypt, it also aimed to amplify France’s call for an end to fighting in Gaza, the release of Israeli hostages and for humanitarian aid to be allowed to enter the Strip.
At the centre of Macron’s three-day trip was Monday’s trilateral summit with Jordan’s King Abdullah II. The talks focused on the situation in Gaza as Israel escalates its war on the Palestinian enclave after the collapse of a short-lived ceasefire with Hamas.
The three leaders expressed their support for the Gaza reconstruction conference soon to be held in Cairo and held a joint phone call with US President Donald Trump.
Macron wrapped up his three-day trip by visiting Arish, 50 km west of Gaza, where he met with humanitarian workers. Macron and Al-Sisi visited Arish Hospital, touring storage facilities packed with aid supplies for Gaza. Macron called for “the reopening of crossing points between Egypt and the Gaza Strip to allow the delivery of humanitarian goods to the Palestinians.”
* A version of this article appears in print in the 10 April, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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