Joint communiqué issued after the first Egypt-France strategic dialogue

On 20 April 2026, the first strategic dialogue between France and the Arab Republic of Egypt was held in Cairo. The Secretary-General of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Martin Briens, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Egyptian Expatriates for African affairs, Mohamed Abou Bakr, respectively, led the French and Egyptian delegations. 

This strategic dialogue follows the decision to elevate our bilateral relationship to the strategic partnership level made during a high-level official visit of the President of the French Republic to Egypt on 7 and 8 April 2025, at the invitation of the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

The Secretary-General and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs welcomed the exceptional quality of the bilateral relationship and drew positive first conclusions on the implementation of the strategic partnership. 

Financial and economic cooperation

The Secretary-General and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs discussed economic and financial cooperation between the two countries, and the implementation of the Intergovernmental Agreement on Financial Cooperation for the 2026-2030 period which relies on projects validated by the two parties.

In this context, the two sides marked the 20th anniversary of the presence of the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) in Egypt, highlighting it as a milestone in the longstanding partnership with the Government of Egypt and underscoring the tangible impact of AFD-financed projects on the lives of Egyptian citizens. 

They also welcomed the momentum generated by the visit of H.E. President Emmanuel Macron to Egypt, which reflects the shared ambition to elevate bilateral relations within the framework of a strategic partnership, including through enhanced cooperation in priority sectors. During the visit, nine financing agreements were signed with AFD, amounting to EUR 262.2 million, to support development projects in the transport, energy, and housing sectors. 

The Egyptian side reiterated its increasing prioritization of budget support programs as a key financing modality to enhance macroeconomic stability and ensure the efficient allocation of resources in line with national development objectives, and expressed appreciation for the French contribution to the Universal Health Insurance Program through a loan of EUR 150 million and a grant of EUR 2 million. 

Both sides further highlighted ongoing cooperation in sustainability and green development, particularly through the Green Sustainable Industry (GSI) Project, financed at EUR 45 million. They noted that the simplified agreement for the project was signed in October 2025, and that procedures for the Credit Facility Agreement are currently being finalized in preparation for its signature.

The two parties also called for the continuation of bilateral cooperation in the field of transport. They welcomed the momentum generated by the visit of a delegation from the French Ministry for the Economy and Finance and Industrial, Energy and Digital Sovereignty to Cairo on 9 and 10 February to advance the implementation of a project to build metro line 6 in Cairo. This project reflects a longstanding partnership, rooted in the first roadmap signed in 2021 and reaffirmed during the President of the French Republic's visit to Egypt in 2025, which sets a clear path in terms of schedule and financing.

Mobility and migration 

The Secretary-General and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs discussed the progress made in the framework of the bilateral dialogue on migration, introduced by the strategic partnership with the aim of signing an agreement on returns and readmissions as well as enhancing overall cooperation on migration, notably in terms of legal mobility and vocational training. They welcomed the third session of negotiations held in Paris on 8 and 9 April 2026. They agreed to reach an agreement in the weeks ahead. 

Culture

The Secretary-General and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs welcomed the extensive bilateral partnership focused on culture, heritage and archaeology. The two parties validated the principle of a France-Egypt road map for enhancing cooperation in the sector of heritage aiming at developing bilateral dialogue between professionals and the sharing of expertise in this area. They welcomed the upcoming inauguration of the library of the Grand Egyptian Museum, developed with France’s support.

The two sides agreed to recognise the importance of co-operation, in the field of Artificial Intelligence, Digitalisation and Start Ups in the field of culture and the creative economy and translation.

Education and academic cooperation

The two parties recognized the importance of educational and linguistic cooperation as a vehicle for strengthening ties between Egypt and France through their respective educational communities. In this regard, they welcomed the twinning between Egyptian and French schools and recalled the value of exchanging expertise in the training of managers and teachers. They highlighted the challenges of strengthening multilingualism, the development of French-speaking schools and the promotion of the French language in Egypt. They agreed to work together on opening new bilingual Francophone state schools in the coming years and welcomed the launch of the second phase of the TrèFLE project, supporting the teaching of French as a second language in state schools.

They also stressed the importance of integrating technical and vocational education and training in their educational and linguistic cooperation programs, particularly in support of growth sectors such as the railway and automotive industry, the ecological transition, agriculture and tourism.

The Secretary-General and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs welcomed the French-Egyptian Day of Scientific and Academic Cooperation held in France on 5 February 2026, with more than 150 participants in attendance, building on the Assises Franco-Égyptiennes de la Coopération Scientifique et Universitaire. It boosted the new momentum of the bilateral academic cooperation and partnerships for scientific research and innovation. 

New French university programs will be opened in Egypt in the coming months. The two parties noted the significant progress made in the overhaul of the Université Française d’Égypte, which will have completed its first buildings of its new campus by the start of the next academic year. 

They also prioritized vocational and technical training and bilateral cooperation opportunities in support of key sectors, including transport. 

Together they discussed the vibrancy of Francophonie in Egypt seen in the new campus of the Université Senghor, which inauguration will be the occasion of a new visit of the President of the French Republic.

Global issues and multilateralism 

The Secretary-General and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs shared their views on global and multilateral issues, including the fight against climate change and environmental crises, the protection of the Ocean, the loss of biodiversity, desertification, global health, artificial intelligence and human rights. They reiterated their support for the implementation of the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement). They stressed their commitment to integrating science to guide climate and environmental action and reaffirmed their strong support for the IPCC (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) and IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services). They reiterated their interest in close coordination within the UN and multilateral and bodies on these subjects. 

The Secretary-General affirmed France’s support for incorporating Egypt into the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) initiative.  

At this critical juncture, it is essential for France and Egypt to further deepen their cooperation and coordination on issues of common interest addressed in key fora, including the G7, the G20 and the BRICS, as well as in multilateral organizations. Such coordination is crucial to reducing global inequalities and to promoting fairer and more inclusive global governance, including the development finance reform in order to create mutually beneficial partnerships. 

Regional issues

In addition, the Secretary-General and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed their commitment to bilateral cooperation in regional crisis management, with a focus on the Middle East, including achieving a lasting peace to the question of Palestine in accordance with the two state solution, the ongoing situation in Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, and the Horn of Africa. Water issues were also discussed. Both parties also called for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. They welcomed the bilateral consultations on regional issues, including African issues, held in Cairo on 26 March 2026 and agreed on the importance of continuing their dialogue to achieve mutual interests and build on the results of the Africa Forward Summit planned in Nairobi from May 11th to 12th 2026.

The next session of the strategic dialogue will take place in the first semester of 2027 in France.