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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi arrives in Paris on Sunday for a three-day state visit aimed at strengthening Franco-Egyptian cooperation in the face of crises in the Middle East, without ignoring the sensitive issue of human rights.
The visit is expected to culminate in the meeting between Sisi and French President Emmanuel Macron, nearly two years after their meeting in private in Cairo, which revealed differences on the issue of human rights.
On January 27, 2019, Macron expressed regret that the situation is not moving in the “right direction” in Egypt due to the imprisonment of “bloggers, journalists and activists”.
Sisi, who has held the presidency of Egypt since 2014 after the army removed Islamist President Mohamed Morsi from power, replied: “Remember we are in a troubled region.”
The meeting between the two heads of state will take place in a better atmosphere after the release of three officials of the human rights organization “the Egyptian Initiative for Human Rights”, whose arrest in November provoked outrage in France and other countries. President El-Sisi’s visit was not announced until after the Egyptian prosecution ordered their release on Thursday.
Waiting for NGOs
The French presidency commented on their release, saying: “We welcome this, which is a positive sign,” stressing that Macron will once again address the issue of human rights in Egypt.
Human rights NGOs are closely following this aspect of the visit. He appealed to the French president condemning “France’s indulgence at the highest level” in the face of “violent repression” in Egypt.
These organizations declared that Paris’ position could not be limited to a “verbal condemnation”, noting that France had, with Sissi’s visit, “an opportunity and a duty to take a firm public position”.
Human rights organizations recall the Egyptian President’s previous visit to Paris in October 2017, when Emmanuel Macron refused to “teach him lessons” in human rights, preferring to focus on their “common battle” against terrorism .
The priority for France remains to strengthen the “strategic partnership” with the most populous country in the Arab world and considered a “pole of stability” in a region “always volatile”.
The two heads of state will review their cooperation on major regional security issues, from the fight against terrorism to the Libyan crisis, including tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Elysee said that France is working with Egypt to “restore stability” in Libya, which requires “the departure of foreign forces, especially Russian and Turkish fighters, and the various mercenaries present”.
Libya is a major stake
Paris, which is suspected of supporting along with Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, the strongman of eastern Libya, Marshal Khalifa Haftar, says the current “positive signals” need to be reinforced, ranging from acceptance of a permanent ceasefire for the establishment of a political dialogue between the Libyans.
The ambitions of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Edogan in the Eastern Mediterranean, which affect the interests of many countries in the region, including Egypt, linked to gas extraction, will be at the center of the discussions.
The Elysée affirmed that France and Egypt want “to make the Mediterranean a space of cooperation in which the sovereignty of the various countries is respected”.
The two presidents will discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the political crisis in Lebanon, the situation in Iraq and challenges related to Iran.
No major contract is expected to be signed during the visit, but French aid of 150 million euros will be granted in the form of a loan to Egypt to help strengthen the social safety net of the population.
As with any state visit, during his visit which will last until Tuesday, the Egyptian President will meet with key political leaders from Prime Minister Jean Castex to President of the National Assembly Richard Ferrand, President of the Senate Gérard Larcher and to the mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo.
He will have dinner on Sunday with the French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian and will also meet the Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly.
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