Egypt's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled El-Anani has met with a French delegation to discuss methods of cooperation between the two countries in tourism and antiquities. The delegation included: French Ambassador to Cairo Stéphane Romatet; French cultural advisor Jamel Oubechou; Yannick Lintz, Director of Islamic Art Department at the Musée De Louvre. The meeting took place in the presence of: Mostafa Waziri, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities; Moamen Othman, Head of the Museums Sector at the Ministry; and Mamdouh Othman, Director of the Museum of Islamic Art. El-Anani emphasised the depth of Egyptian-French relations, as the two countries have extensive historic relations and fruitful cooperation in many fields, including tourism and antiquities. The meeting touched on a number of important issues to enhance cooperation between the two countries in the field of tourism and antiquities, and push the tourist movement coming to Egypt from France. This would come particularly with the gradual opening of tourism and travel globally, and the continued vaccination of citizens against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). These steps take into account Egypt's position as a favourite travel destination among French tourists, because of the country's unique attractions, such as natural landscapes, beautiful beaches, and unique monuments. During the meeting, the two sides also discussed the possibility of organising a number of cultural celebrations between the two countries during 2022. This would include celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of the deciphering of the Rosetta Stone, work largely undertaken by French orientalist Jean-Francois Champollion. This would also see the establishment of an archaeological exhibition, in cooperation between the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo and the Louvre Museum in Paris. These exhibitions would display a number of Islamic-era artefacts from the two museums. The meeting also sought to discuss the possibility of exchanging experiences and mechanisms for providing technical support within the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities' agencies in the field of museums and archaeological sites. This is in addition to cooperation agreements to train archaeologists, restorers, and curators at various museums.
