Egyptian, French leaders to meet in Cairo this month

CAIRO (AA) – Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi will hold talks with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Cairo by the end of this month, according to Egyptian media.

Talks between the two leaders will focus on stability in the Middle East and bilateral relations, the state-run Akhbar Al-Youm newspaper said on Saturday.

Ways of combating terrorism and illegal immigration will also figure high on the agenda of the talks, the newspaper said.

The Egyptian Presidency has yet to unveil details of Macron’s visit to Cairo.

Macron’s visit will be the first by the French leader to Egypt since he assumed office in 2017.

Trade exchange between Egypt and France hit 2.46 billion euros in 2017, according to the French Embassy in Cairo.

Ever since al-Sisi came to power in June of 2014, Cairo and Paris have signed a range of arms deals, making France -- alongside the U.S. and Russia -- one of Egypt’s main sources for weapons.