The Egyptian Presidency’s Spokesman, Bassam Rady, has stated that during their Parisian meeting on Monday, the French President Emmanuel Macron and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah El-Sisi shared common views regarding the Libyan crisis.
In a statement, Rady explained that the two heads of state hold the same views regarding the necessity of reaching a peaceful settlement in Libya, in a way that contributes to the elimination of terrorism, preserves the state’s resources and national institutions, as well as prevents foreign interference in internal affairs. Both leaders have agreed that a comprehensive and political solution in Libya is the only way to achieve stability in the country and preserve its regional unity, and they have also agreed to jointly work toward reaching such a settlement there.
Apart from Libya, the talks between El-Sisi and Macron reviewed ways to coordinate efforts with Egypt as a leading partner of the European Union in a number of regional and international issues of common interest. Such issues have been identified as the need to enhance joint work on fighting extremism, terrorism, hate and racism. The Egyptian President also affirmed the need to enhance dialogue among people from different religions and cultures.
El-Sisi also announced his discussions with Macron prioritized the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East and the African Sahel regions, in light of the challenges and crises in these areas that threaten the national security and interests of France and Egypt.
The Egyptian president also tackled the issue of Turkish intervention in his region during his talk with Macron. “We have agreed on the importance of the international community to counter the aggressive and provocative policies adopted by regional powers that do not respect the principles of international law and good-neighbourliness,” El-Sisi said.