Paris - MENA
Visiting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on Wednesday underlined the importance Egypt attaches to promoting economic relations with all friendly countries, atop of which comes France.
The remark was made at a meeting here with French Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire, said Presidential Spokesman Ambassador Alaa Youssef.
The president appreciated the clear activity of French companies operating in Egypt, adding that the current economic reform program offers major opportunities to the expansion of these activities, said the spokesman.
The president explained that Egypt enjoys a big market and a strategic location allowing it to be a center for producing and exporting products to other African and Arab markets, added the spokesman.
The French minister lauded the current level of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, said the spokesman, adding that he also hailed the comprehensive economic reform program that is now implemented by the Egyptian government.
The French minister also said he is working to implement directives by President Emmanuel Macon for upgrading strategic partnership between Egypt and France and supporting the Egyptian economic reform plan, the spokesman pointed out.
After the talks, president Sisi held a plenary meeting with chairmen of several major French companies where he expounded the most important features of the Egyptian economic reform program that started three years ago, said the spokesman.
The president highlighted the positive results of the economic reform program, such as increasing the foreign currency reserves with the Central Bank of Egypt and enhancing growth rates, along with redressing imbalances of the foreign exchange market, according to the spokesman.
The French businessmen meanwhile expressed satisfaction over the stability which Egypt enjoys now, noting that this state of affairs provides promising investment opportunities in several domains, said the spokesman.
They also said that such stability encourages them to expand their investments in Egypt, added the spokesman.
At the end of the meeting, the French minister announced that he will head shortly for Egypt leading a delegation of senior French investors, said the spokesman.
The minister said that the visit is aimed at discussing the implementation of many joint ventures between Egypt and France in various domains, added the spokesman.