Sisi says Egypt keen on cooperation with UNESCO, hails Abu Simbel and Philae temples saving projects

CAIRO – 12 November 2021:  President Fattah El Sisi said Friday that Egypt is keen on cooperating with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to protect Egyptian sites registered on the World Heritage List.

In a speech at the celebration marking the 75th anniversary of the foundation of the world organization, the president said that Egypt gives great attention to active participation with various apparatuses, activities and technical programs of the organization.

The president noted that the celebration coincides with the great leap in antiquities field in Egypt in the past period in which a number of archeological discoveries were revealed, development and renovation of artifacts and the opening of a number of museums including National Civilization Museum.

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi asserted that Egypt is proud of being among the founding states of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Presidency Spokesman Bassam Radi said.

In a speech at a celebration marking the 75th anniversary of the foundation of the international organization, the president hailed a cooperation project with UNESCO to save the temples of Abu Simbel and Philae from drowning, which lasted for two decades of the past century.

"The project constituted an important experiment in the history of the organization and its path in preserving the world heritage," Sisi added at the headquarters of UNESCO in Paris.

Sisi also congratulated UNESCO Director-General for her re-election for a second term, wishing her success in her mission.

Sisi arrived in Paris Thursday to attend an international conference on Libya on Friday, in response to an invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.

On the sidelines of the Paris Conference on Libya, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly on Thursday. Both sides agreed on intensifying consultations and coordination during the coming period to counter-terrorism.

They made the remarks in a meeting in Paris, which hosts an international conference on Libya on Friday, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Radi said in a statement.

Sisi and Parly agreed on enhancing coordination to eliminate the danger of terrorist elements and their movement from areas with tensions to other places, given the threat that this poses to the entire regional security, especially in North Africa and Sahel.