CAIRO, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said on Monday that he agreed with visiting French counterpart Emmanuel Macron to strengthen economic cooperation and fighting terrorism.
Speaking at joint press conference with Macron, Sisi asserted strong and distinguished political and strategic relations between Egypt and France.
The friendship dates back to long years of mutual interests and humanitarian and cultural interactions between the two peoples, he added.
The two leaders had similar views on the need to continue to combat terrorism which targets the security and interests of both countries alike, and directly threatens the sustainable development, posing a great challenge for the prosperity of the two peoples.
"The talks also included a positive conversation about the current conditions of human rights in our countries, the Middle East and Europe," said Sisi.
Sisi said that he agreed with Macron to give a strong push for the cooperation in the economic fields, increasing trade and joint investments in a way that reflects the distinguished bilateral political and strategic relations.
"We have reviewed various aspects of bilateral cooperation and witnessed together the ceremony of signing a number of agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) for cooperation in varied fields such as transport, health, culture, education, communication, youth, internal trade and energy," the Egyptian president said.
Besides, a memo worth one billion Euros was reached on establishing strategic partnership with the French Development Agency during 2019-2023, he added.
Sisi regarded the meeting as an important opportunity to review the key steps of comprehensive economic and social reform program which Egypt has implemented since 2016, to tackle the structural defaults in the Egyptian economy for decades.
Egypt welcomes French companies' participation in Egypt's mega national projects in various sectors, asserting that he is keen on supporting and promoting foreign investments in his country in general and French companies in particular, he noted.
"We discussed in detail ways to enhance cultural and educational cooperation between Egypt and France in light of celebrating 2019 as the year of Egyptian-French culture and the mutual impact of both countries' cultural heritage on the cultural and social lives of both peoples," Sisi said.
Macron's visit comes as the two countries celebrate the Egyptian-French cultural year.
It is the French leader's first visit to Egypt and second meeting with Sisi, after their talks in Paris in October 2017.
Macron's three-day trip to Egypt comes as "yellow vest" protests against his policies continue to be held on the streets back home in France.
Over the past couple of months, Macron has been facing domestic protests, mostly peaceful, held by demonstrators dressed in yellow vests against the French government's austerity measures, including fuel price hikes.
