In light of Cairo’s efforts to bolster its ties with Paris, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi visited France from 6 to 9 December to discuss matters of mutual concern, joint cooperation, and the growing crises in the Middle East.
This is the fourth visit to Paris since Al-Sisi took office in 2014. Al-Sisi and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron tackled a host of regional issues, notably the Libyan crisis, combating terrorism, the escalating tension in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Palestinian cause, and the political crisis in Lebanon.
Relations between France and Egypt are based on strong, longstanding ties of friendship and cooperation due to the convergence of their national interests and their agreement on the management of many current issues. Despite the regional and international changes that have redrawn the world order, relations between the two countries remain firmly established, as they are based on historical and cultural ties and mutual confidence.
Paris views Cairo as a pivotal country in the region and an important strategic partner with which to coordinate and cooperate in settling the region’s crises. Cairo views Paris as one of the most important European countries that played a prominent role as an effective power in dealing with the challenges in the region by adopting mediation efforts between the disputing parties to bring their viewpoints closer.
The French role in the region comes in accordance with the principles of Egyptian foreign policy, which is based on a number of determinants, topped by non-interference and preserving the unity of the national sovereignty of the countries in the region.
All these elements led to the development of Egyptian-French relations, which is reflected in the convergence of their positions on many issues as follows:
The Libyan crisis: The two countries are committed to a peaceful political solution, confirming their adherence to the unity and safety of the Libyan lands, and rejecting foreign interference by international powers that seek to exploit the state of instability and internal chaos to create a foothold that harms the Libyan state’s interests and national abilities.
Cairo and Paris rejected illegal Turkish intervention in Libya and denounced the Turkish support for Al-Sarraj’s government with arms and mercenaries.
In July, President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi met with the sheikhs and elders of Libyan tribes representing the factions of the Libyan people. During the meeting, President Al-Sisi delivered a speech in which he said that Cairo would not allow the Sirte-Jufra red line to be crossed, and emphasized that Libya should remain out of the control of terrorist militias. He also stressed the need for unity and a ceasefire between the two conflicting parties in Libya.
Egypt has earlier condemned the signing of the two memoranda of understanding on security and maritime jurisdictions between Ankara and the Government of National Accord led by Al-Sarraj.
This was preceded by Egypt’s condemnation of Ankara’s announcement that it would sign two memoranda of understanding with Al-Sarraj in the area of security cooperation and maritime space because they are illegal. Egypt affirmed that such memoranda possess no legal effect, as they cannot be recognized.
“The memorandum of understanding on the Delimitation of the Maritime Jurisdiction Areas in the Mediterranean, and the memorandum of understanding on Security and Military Cooperation signed in November 2019 between Turkey and Fayez El-Sarraj, are respectively in contravention of international law and the UN arms embargo in Libya, and that both undermine regional stability. The memorandum of understanding on the delimitation of maritime jurisdictions in the Mediterranean Sea infringes upon the sovereign rights of third states, does not comply with the Law of the Sea and cannot produce any legal consequences for third states,” Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmed Hafez said in a statement.
France, which welcomed Egypt’s efforts to resolve the Libyan crisis, has sharpened its language in condemning Turkey’s approach to Libya, which violates UN Security Council resolutions, describing it as “unacceptable”. France has also accused Ankara of transporting jihadist fighters from Syria to Libya. Turkey’s foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, replied that France had been “destructive” in the North African nation.
In addition, France rejected agreements with the Al-Sarraj’s government and described them as legally invalid, in support for Cyprus and Greece’s sovereignty over their maritime borders. France also warned that the region would become “a playground for the ambitions of some”. France had suspended its role in Operation Sea Guardian, accusing Turkey of violating an arms embargo against Libya.
Tension in the Eastern Mediterranean: Hydrocarbon discoveries off the Egyptian, Cypriot, Greek and Israeli coasts aroused Turkey’s desire to be part of the region’s interactions and to reinforce its role and create a new influence area that could be used to serve its expansionist aims.
These Turkish aims were reflected in Turkey’s presence in Libya and its illegal agreements rejected by Egypt, Greece, Cyprus, and France. Turkey has also ramped up tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean through sending drilling vessels to the economic zone of Cyprus and Crete, heedless of criticism and international rejection of these illegal movements violating international maritime law. Turkey uses these provocative acts as a leverage against the international powers that reject this approach, which is a violation of the sovereignty of the Mediterranean countries.
Cairo has rejected Turkish actions and measures that sought to protect its interests in the region by concluding a maritime delimitation agreement in August 2020 with Greece to benefit from the marine wealth efficiently and effectively, something that the Turkish Foreign Ministry has not agreed to, claiming to be a violation of its continental shelf.
France has sharply criticized Turkey’s approach and urged EU member states to address these moves. During the ministerial meeting in January 2020, France requested to be a permanent observer in the Cairo-based East Mediterranean Gas Forum. The forum was established in January 2019, and it includes: Egypt, Greece, Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Italy, and the Palestinian Authority, aiming at establishing a sustainable market for gas in the region and supporting Egypt as a regional energy hub.
In addition, France conducted joint military exercises with Greece, Cyprus, and Italy on 26 August, in response to Turkey’s insistence not to cede its presence in the region. “Cyprus, Greece, France and Italy have agreed to deploy a joint presence in the Eastern Mediterranean as part of the quadripartite cooperation initiative,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement.
Combating terrorism and extremism: Egypt and France are among the pioneering countries in combating extremism and terrorism, and are among the most targeted countries by terrorist groups and extremists. Thus, there should be a convergence of views on both sides in fighting terrorism and extremism. This was reflected in the French Foreign Ministry’s description of Egypt as a “major counter-terrorism partner.”
In January 2020, in an interview with Ahram Online, French Ambassador Stéphane Romatet stated that “For France and all the Mediterranean countries, Libya is really a kind of strategic crossroads. This a place where you could have a new platform for terrorism that would be a major threat for European countries, for France and for Egypt, as the security of Egypt is very closely connected to the security of Libya, because of the long borders they share. So treating the Libyan crises is certainly is a topmost priority for our two countries. For months, France and Egypt have heavily intensified their political dialogue and cooperation on the Libyan issue, and nothing we undergo on the Libyan issue — no initiative we take, no decision we make — is without prior consultation with our Egyptian friends. For France, Egypt is a key partner in dealing with the Libyan crisis.”
Convergence has been Cairo and Paris’ common strategy for fighting terrorism. Ministers and heads of international organisations met at the invitation of Macron for the international conference on combating the financing of the Islamic State (IS) and Al-Qaeda – No Money for Terror, in Paris, France, on 25-26 April 2018. France subsequently submitted a project to combat the financing of terrorist organizations to the UN Security Council, which Egypt adopted in March 2019.
Egypt and France are seeking to combat terrorism in every way. Present in the Sahel since 2013 (Operation Serval in Mali), France has played a leading role in blocking the advancement of terrorist groups in the region. French troops participating in Operation Barkhane provide vital assistance to the G5 Sahel countries (Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad) in their action to fight terrorism. France has also joined forces with the Global Coalition against IS since August 2014.
Egypt is actively engaged in counter-terrorism efforts against militias in Sinai, as well as its military intervention in Libya to counter the threat of terrorism that could besiege it from the West. Training courses are also organized for the cadres of many African and European countries.
In a report issued by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Egypt’s efforts to combat terrorism in July 2020, which was prepared in coordination with the ministries and agencies of the countries concerned, Deputy Foreign Minister and Director of the International Terrorism Combat Unit Ambassador Ihab Fahmy stated that “Egypt has long called on the international community to implement a strategy to root out terrorism by confronting all terrorist organizations without exception; holding the countries that support it accountable; and drying up their intellectual origins and sources of financing; and, in this context, all states must comply with full respect for international law and relevant Security Council resolutions.”
The report also mentioned preventive and awareness efforts related to facing extremist ideology, considering that this dimension is considered the main motivation for committing terrorist acts, whether it is from deviant intellectual ideology or from a provocative extremist speech based on racism and xenophobia.
It also highlighted that Egypt has been a leader in this field through the initiative launched by President Al-Sisi since 2014 to renew the religious discourse, demand a response to the terrorist speech, and raise Security Council Resolution 2354 (2017) in this regard.
Despite the agreement in Egyptian and French approaches to anti-extremism and terrorism issues, there has been some disagreements in visions to deal with other files in the same context, due to the different historical and intellectual heritage of the two countries, and the threats facing them both.
The Lebanese crisis: The Egyptian and French visions of the catastrophic political situation in Lebanon are in line. Egypt has affirmed its firm and supportive position for the security and stability of Lebanon and is always keen to support the Lebanese people, which was demonstrated following Beirut Blast in August 2020. Egypt has also offered much aid to contribute to reconstruction and overcome this ordeal by establishing an Egyptian sea bridge to supply it with building materials, and an air bridge to carry medical and food aids.
After the Beirut Blast, France supported the Lebanese people. Macron visited Lebanon immediately after the explosion to be the first president to visit the country two days after the explosion, and visited it again less than a month later.
Macron has provided support to and solidarity with the Lebanese people. A range of assistance has been pledged through political, economic and social reforms, to pressure politicians and officials to respond to the demands of the people and to accelerate the formation of a national government representing all the Lebanese people. The possibility of holding international donor conferences to support internal reforms was also raised.
Illegal immigration: The issue has always affected both countries. Egypt has long faced a crisis in controlling illegal immigration flows, accompanied by serious threats to Egypt’s national security, whether by growing human trafficking gangs, facilitating terrorist operations, and other subversive activities.
Egypt has successfully adopted a firm policy to prevent illegal immigration since 2016. In January 2020, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director-General António Vitorino said on Saturday that the rate of illegal immigration from Egypt to Europe has decreased over the past months to almost zero, thanks to effective measures taken by the Egyptian government.
Vitorino praised Egypt’s national strategy to combat illegal immigration adopted since 2016, making it one of the first countries to utilize an active and effective approach to dealing with illegal immigration.
In his interview with Ahram Online, Romatet stated that “Egypt has played strong role to stop the waves of illegal immigration to Europe. In the fall of 2015, we suffered from waves of cross-Mediterranean migration through Greece, the Balkans, Libya, and even some came from Egypt. At that time, Egypt decided to have a strong policy to prevent illegal immigration from Egypt to Europe, and since 2016, Egypt is doing huge work to control its borders and prevent illegal immigration, especially since there are gangs that smuggle and traffic in human beings. Frankly, I would like to contribute to the role of Egypt in securing migration issues on its borders.”
In February 2019, the first Arab-European summit was held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, under the title of “Investing in Stability.” The summit was jointly chaired by President Al-Sisi and President of the European Council Donald Tusk, in the presence of 24 European and 16 Arab leaders. Many analysts attributed Egypt’s choice to host the summit as an appreciation for its efforts in the two files of fighting illegal migration and terrorism.
Days before the summit, the head of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) praised the Egyptian authorities for preventing immigrants from leaving Europe across the Egyptian coast since 2016.
The Palestinian cause: The Egyptian and French sides agree that the solution of the Palestinian cause will be based on a two-state solution, and reaching a just and comprehensive basis, and the establishment of a Palestinian state according to the borders of June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital. This is what French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian confirmed during his visit to Egypt in November.
The French and the European Union’s positions refuse the continuation of the Israeli incursion on Palestinian lands, and the establishment of settlements. In October 2020, the foreign ministers of France, Spain, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom expressed their concern at the decision of the Israeli authorities to build more than 4,900 settlement units in the occupied West Bank. They clarified that this expansion violates international law and impedes efforts to reach a permanent and fair peace agreement based on the two-state solution.
In conclusion, Egyptian-French relations are mutually compatible with many of the Middle East’s issues and crises, the repercussions of which have largely been reflected in European countries in general and France in particular, so the approach to relations is expected to continue.
In conclusion, the Egyptian-French relations are characterized by mutual harmony in dealing with many issues and crises in the Middle East region, whose repercussions have largely affected European countries in general and France in particular. Therefore, it is expected that their mutual approach of relations will continue on this path.
