Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi arrived in Paris on Monday for an official visit where he will meet with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and attend a reception at the Elysée Palace on Tuesday. El-Sisi and Macron will attend the signing of 17 joint cooperation agreements between the two countries in different fields, including in investment and the economy. The Egyptian president will start his visit to France, his third since he assumed office in 2014, with a meeting with a French CEO, according to the Egyptian presidency. El-Sisi will also give an interview to Paris-based France 24 and will attend a dinner in his honour organised by French Minister of Defence Florence Parly. Egypt has made several purchases of French military hardware in recent years, the most recent of which was a Gowind 2500 corvette naval vessel, which arrived in Alexandria earlier this month. The vessel is one of four such models purchased by Egypt in a deal signed in 2014. El-Sisi will also meet with French PM Edouard Philippe and foreign minister Jean Yves Le Drian. The Egyptian president will discuss with top French officials a number of regional and international issues, including the international efforts to fight terrorism, the developments in Libya and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Concerning the human rights situation in Egypt, presidency spokesman Alaa Youssef said that Egypt is open to discussing all issues including claims made by some regarding the human rights situation in Egypt. Youssef added that the international community, including French officials, understands Egypt's views on the issue of human rights. El-Sisi is accompanied on his trip by foreign minister Sameh Shoukry, finance minister Amr El-Garhy, minister of planning and administrative reform Hala Saeed, minister of industry and commerce Tarek Qabil, minister of transportation Hisham Arafat, and the head of Egypt's General Intelligence Service Khaled Fawzy.
