The Outer

French Ambassador to Cairo: Francophonie is a common bridge of basic political values ​​between our countries and peoples

By Manal Abdel Fattah

The French Ambassador to Egypt, Eric Chevalier, said that his country will host the next Francophonie summit, which is scheduled to be held on the fourth of next October and will last for two days.

This came during a press conference held this evening at the residence of the French Ambassador in Cairo on the occasion of the start of the month of Francophonie, in the presence of a group of ambassadors and diplomats from Europe, Africa and Latin America, including the ambassadors of Argentina, Romania, Belgium and Zambia, and representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Organization of La Francophonie.

The ambassador expressed his happiness at the meeting of the group of Francophone ambassadors today at the residence to confirm commitment to the values ​​​​defended by the International Organization of La Francophonie and its Secretary-General, Louise Mushikiwabo, which are cooperation, solidarity, exchange, respect, linguistic pluralism and cultural pluralism.
He added that Francophonie expanded its original borders, and under the patronage of Dr. Boutros Boutros Ghali, it became a common bridge for basic political values ​​between our countries and peoples, extending from Canada to Africa, from the Antilles to the islands of the Indian Ocean, and from the shores of the Atlantic Ocean to the coasts of the Pacific Ocean.

He explained that we are living in a moment of historical turmoil, as wars, food and energy crises, epidemics and natural disasters call us to align around values, which we are celebrating this evening, in Egypt… pointing out that his country is happy with the priority given internationally to Francophonie.

The French Ambassador welcomed the attendees, noting that the program to celebrate the month of Francophonie in Egypt will be a source of discoveries, exchanges and unique meetings where innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship come together in the French language.

For her part, Nadine Murad, representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the month of March, which has become the “Month of Francophonie,” will, as is usual in Egypt, be full of activities of all kinds, which combine cinema, song, performances, readings, and conferences that bear witness to the exceptional diversity.

On this occasion, she stressed that Egypt enjoys a distinguished, long-term relationship with Francophonie, nurtured by its history, culture and political relations, noting that Egypt has played, since its joining the French-speaking movement in 1983, a pioneering role in developing this field and highlighting its influence as a means of cooperation and development.

She added that Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who was an enthusiastic activist for Francophonie and a great defender of its values, is considered, through his work, the “father” of institutional, political and comprehensive Francophonie. He was elected as the first Secretary-General of the International Organization of La Francophonie at the Hanoi Summit in 1997, which contributed to giving Francophonie its future. The complete politician.

She explained that Egypt welcomes Senghor University in Alexandria, “the international French-speaking university in the service of African development,” which has been one of the five direct operators of the International Organization of La Francophonie since 1989.
She stressed that the Egyptian state attaches great importance to supporting and developing this French-speaking institution with an African dimension, as evidenced by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s support for the project to build a new university campus within the university center in the new city of Borg El Arab.

The building, which was established by the Egyptian government on an area of ​​44 thousand, is scheduled to open. Approximately square metres, next year, it is expected to double the university’s capacity to host between 200 to 400 students while providing housing, sports and recreational facilities.

She stressed that the areas of cooperation between Egypt and the International Organization of La Francophonie continue to grow and diversify, so Cairo hosted an economic reconnaissance mission for the Francophonie in February 2023 in which more than a hundred companies and economic activities participated, and an economic forum was organized on this topic.

Egypt also fully supports the efforts of the International Organization of La Francophonie. In the areas of employment, entrepreneurship, women’s and youth empowerment, as well as digital transformation and combating climate change.

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