Macron Pays Visit to Egypt Amidst Transatlantic Tensions
From 6 to 8 April 2025, French President Emmanuel Macron was on a state visit to Egypt. During his 3-day stay in Egypt, he met with his counterpart President Abdel Al-Sisi. Upon entering the Egyptian airspace, the Egyptian Air Force dispatched its Rafale fighters, procured from France, to escort the Presidential plane.
The visit occurred within the context of escalating trade tensions between US and China. Therefore, Macron stressed that one must cultivate trade relationships outside the #G2.
France has invested more than EUR 7.7 billion in Egypt which contributed to the creation of more than 50,000 direct jobs. The economic partnership between France and Egypt is comprehensive and covers, inter alia, agribusiness, logistics, education, pharma, cosmetics, tourism, and other sectors.
In addition to sealing a Strategic Partnership, the two presidents witnessed the signing of an array of agreements as follows:
- Establishment of a Cancer Institute
- Building of the Cairo Metro 6th line
- Cooperation in Higher Education
- Technical and Financial Partnership for Priority Projects
- Launch of 4 new Investment Projects
- Setting up of 100 Francophone schools in Egypt
In 2024, the bilateral trade volume, excluding defense equipment, amounted to nearly EUR 3 billion, representing a 2.4% year-on-year increase compared to 2023. Egypt exports mostly agricultural produce, ready-made garments and petroleum products to France. On the other hand, France exports agricultural & industrial machinery, automotive & aircraft parts, and pharmaceuticals to Egypt. Egypt also acts as a gateway for France into the African and Middle-Eastern markets.
The French Development Agency, AFD, has closed deals with a cumulative value of EUR 4 billion in Egypt since 2006. During this visit, the AFD will sign another set of agreements to finance various projects in the fields of transport, energy and water.
According to some insiders, Egypt is in talks with France to procure submarines from the Naval Group. No decision has been reached yet and Macron would likely try to push the deal forward. It seems Egypt would like to look at submarines from other countries before arriving at a decision.
Last but not least, Macron’s expressed support for Egypt’s reconstruction plan for Gaza, which might be slightly different from that of Trump’s. However, Macron insisted that Hamas should not form part of any future government in the region.