Egypt's Ambassador in Paris Ehab Badawi said President Abdel Fattah El Sisi's visit to France, which starts on Sunday, is to take part in the UN Climate Summit 2015.

In statements to Egyptian reporters in Paris, Badawi said Egypt is taking part in the Paris Climate Summit in its capacity as head of the committee of heads of African states concerned with climate change and in its capacity as Head of the African Environment Ministers Council.

The ambassador said climate change has become an escalating threat with the sea-level rise posing perhaps the greatest threat to several small islands and specific regions in some countries like Egypt. Also, the rise in the land temperature would affect the levels of oceans and seas and consequently trade and navigation lines, he said.

Sisi will hold meetings with top French officials including French President Francois Hollande and will have a working breakfast with French Premier Manuel Valls . Sisi will also attend a dinner banquet hosted by the French senate speaker and another banquet hosted by the French defense minister, said the ambassador.

Badawi also said such meetings reflect the distinguished relations binding the two countries as they were recently keen on buttressing such relations in all domains.

The ambassador also said the meetings between Sisi and the French defense and interior ministers come as part of Cairo and Paris priorities to combat terrorism especially in the current phase.

The ambassador asserted that Egyptians are not by any means involved in the recent terror attacks which hit Paris, but Egypt is a country suffering from terrorism. He also noted that there are two Egyptians who were killed in the attacks and the third is in a critical condition.

As per cooperation in the economic domain, the ambassador said Egypt is looking forward to France's participation in the development of the Suez Canal region, especially the automobile industry as well as construction of tunnels.

The ambassador also quoted head of the French companies operating in Egypt as saying that the annual growth rate reached 35 percent for three successive years and therefore investment in Egypt has large revenues.

Source: MENA