Is President Sissi in Paris a cumbersome ally?
Audio 29:30
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the Elysee Palace in Paris during his official visit to France on December 7, 2020. REUTERS - GONZALO FUENTES
By: Guillaume Naudin Follow
31 min
Egyptian President Abdel Fatah Al Sissi was in Paris yesterday and today for a state visit.
A state visit, that is to say the most prestigious and important from a protocol standpoint.
This is the type of visit reserved for distinguished guests.
This is because Egypt is an important partner of France on the diplomatic, political and strategic levels in the Middle East and in the Eastern Mediterranean.
and a good arms buyer too.
Except that the repression against opponents and critics of the Egyptian regime has intensified recently, causing concern among human rights defenders.
Is President Sissi in Paris a cumbersome ally?
This is the question of the day.
Publicity
To discuss it:
- Bénédicte Jeannerod
, director of Human Rights Watch France
- Jean Marcou
, professor and director of International Relations at Sciences Po Grenoble.
He edited the dossier in the Diplomacy Review “The great gas game in the Eastern Mediterranean”.
author of the book "New Egypt, received ideas on a changing country", Cavalier Bleu editions (2013)
- Stéphane Lacroix
, associate professor at Sciences Po's School of International Affairs, researcher at CERI.
Author of "Egypt in revolutions", PUF editions (2015).
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Egypt
Abdel Fattah al-Sissi
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