Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi stressed strengthening ties with France during a meeting on Tuesday with a delegation from the Egyptian-French friendship committee headed by Catherine Mouran, head of the education and media committee in the French senate.
Presidential spokesperson Alaa Youssef highlighted the president's appreciation for the committee’s efforts in enhancing bilateral ties between Egypt and France, stressing the importance of ongoing organisation and cooperation between the two countries on all levels.
The French delegation reaffirmed France's commitment to cooperation with Egypt, especially in aiding the Arab country's economic reform programme and counter-terrorism efforts.
Egypt has been developing closer ties with France in the last two years, with the two countries signing a number of military deals including the purchase by Egypt of 24 Rafale fighter jets and a multipurpose frigate in June 2016.
President El-Sisi also received on Tuesday a German delegation consisting of former chancellor Gerhard Shroeder and Martin Herrenknecht, the president of Herrenknecht AG, the German manufacturer of tunnel boring machines, which is executing the Suez Canal tunnels project.
El-Sisi praised during the meeting the commitment and dedication of German companies working to execute mega projects in the country.
Egypt and Germany have strengthened economic, military and political ties over the past three years.
German company Siemens signed in 2015 an 8 billion euro ($9.05 billion) deal with Egypt to build gas and wind power plants to ease the country's electric power shortages.
In 2014, Egypt signed a deal to buy three German submarines.
In February, German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed cooperation between both countries in combating terrorism and irregular migration during a meeting with El-Sisi in Cairo.
El-Sisi met with Merkel in Berlin in May 2015 during his first official visit to Europe.
