Egypt, France to Bolster Counter-Terror Intelligence Cooperation

Egypt and France have agreed to bolster bilateral security and intelligence cooperation to curb the threat of terrorism and extremist organizations.

This came during a meeting held in Cairo on Wednesday between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Bernard Emie, director general of France’s external intelligence service.

According to a statement from Egyptian presidential spokesperson Bassam Rady, both sides exchanged views, and Sisi stressed the importance of regular coordination to develop efforts to combat extremist ideologies, violence and terrorism, and maximize pressure on terrorist groups.

Emie was briefed on Egypt’s vision regarding developments in the eastern Mediterranean, as well as the situation in Libya.

He hailed the positive impact of Sisi’s stance on the situation in eastern Libya, which helped the track of political negotiations and reaching a comprehensive solution to the country’s war, said the statement.

Rady said Sisi asked Emie to convey his greetings to President Emmanuel Macron, while highlighting Cairo’s interest in promoting the strategic cooperation with France.

The French official, for his part, conveyed Macron’s greetings to Sisi and expressed his country’s pride in the close relations with Cairo.

He affirmed Paris’s keenness to maintain coordination on issues of common interest, especially the developments in the Middle East, the Eastern Mediterranean and Africa.

In other news, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry left Wednesday to Paris to take part in a quartet meeting (including Egypt, France, Jordan and Germany) to push the peace process in the Middle East forward.

He will also hold several meetings to discuss major regional issues and tackle significant aspects of relations between Egypt and the three countries.