Egypt-France Ties Reached Unprecedented Level Over Past Year, Says French Amb.

Relations between Egypt and France have reached an unprecedented level over the past year, driven by intensified political dialogue, expanding economic cooperation and growing cultural and educational partnerships, French Ambassador to Egypt Éric Chevallier said.

In his remarks at a press conference ahead of France's National Day celebrations, Chevallier said the frequency of high-level visits, new agreements and joint development projects reflected the depth of the strategic partnership between Cairo and Paris.

"The past year was marked by an unprecedented level of political engagement between our two countries," the French ambassador said.

According to Chevallier, French President Emmanuel Macron visited Egypt several times during the past year, including to attend the international summit on Gaza in Sharm El Sheikh and during another visit to Borg El Arab and Alexandria. The period also saw several meetings between Macron and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi.

The ambassador also noted that Egypt and France had also witnessed an intensive exchange of ministerial visits, helping deepen cooperation across a broad range of sectors.

Highlighting economic and development cooperation, Chevallier said the two countries recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of the French Development Agency (AFD) in Egypt, where new financing agreements worth 300 million euros ($351 million) were signed.

The funding will support projects in water, transport, education and healthcare, including Egypt's Universal Health Insurance System.

"We consider the universal health insurance project extremely important for Egyptian citizens, and France will continue supporting it in partnership with the Egyptian government," he said.

Chevallier described cultural cooperation as one of the cornerstones of bilateral relations, saying France was proud to have contributed to the Grand Egyptian Museum through the establishment of a specialized research library.

"France is Egypt's leading partner in archaeology and Egyptology," he said, noting that around 300 French researchers are currently working in Egypt alongside nearly 50 joint Egyptian-French archaeological missions across the country.

Beyond archaeology, France has organized around 250 cultural events across Egypt since last July, covering cinema, theatre, music and the arts, he said. The French Embassy has also supported an initiative led by Egyptian filmmaker Marianne Khoury to mentor 11 young Egyptian directors over the course of a year as they develop their first films.

On migration, Chevallier said cooperation between the two countries was built on three pillars: combating irregular migration, supporting education, vocational training and economic opportunities in Egypt, and facilitating legal mobility, particularly for students and researchers.

"Migration cannot be addressed through security measures alone. It also requires investment in development, education and job creation," he said.

Chevallier also praised the resilience of Egypt's economy amid regional turmoil, saying French companies operating in the country continued to expand their investments despite global economic challenges.

"French companies continue to view Egypt as a promising investment destination," he said, adding that many firms were also investing in training Egyptian professionals, reflecting their confidence in the country's long-term economic prospects.

He said the growing scope of cooperation across political, economic, cultural and development fields demonstrated the strength of the strategic partnership and expressed France's commitment to further expanding ties with Egypt in the coming years.