French President Emmanuel Macron arrived on Sunday afternoon to Abu Simbel Temple in Egypt's Aswan governorate; his first stop in an official three-day visit to Egypt. Antiquities Minister Khaled El-Anani, Tourism Minister Rania El-Mashat and Aswan Governor Ahmed Ibrahim received the French president, French first lady Bridgette Macron, and an accompanying delegation at Aswan airport. In the 1960s, France was among a number of countries that helped Egypt transfer Abu Simbel Temple from its original location to its current site to save it getting submerged by the reservoir of the Aswan Dam. Macron's visit to Egypt is his first since assuming office in 2017. Sisi visited Paris in October 2017, where he met with Macron and discussed joint efforts to combat terrorism, the Middle East peace process, the situation in Libya, and issues related to bilateral cooperation. Macron's visit also coincides with the start of ‘France-Egypt 2019,' which was launched earlier this year by Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his French counterpart to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Suez Canal. Si on peut, aujourd'hui encore, se replonger dans ce que fut l'Egypte de Ramsès II en visitant les temples d'Abou Simbel, c'est grâce à une opération de sauvetage inédite menée il y a 50 ans en coopération avec la France. Explication depuis ses entrailles : pic.twitter.com/TlPKocRa7V — Elysée (@Elysee) January 27, 2019 Source: Ahram Online
