French president arrives in Egypt for 3-day visit

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Sunday evening on a three-day visit to the North African country to discuss bilateral cooperation with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, the Egyptian state TV reported.

At Cairo International Airport, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly received the French president and his wife Brigitte after they finished a tour in Abu Simbel temple in Upper Egypt's Aswan province earlier in the day, where they were accompanied by Egypt's Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anany.

According to French media reports, Macron is accompanied by both French foreign and defense ministers as well as a delegation of chiefs of French giant corporations.

The visit comes amid the two countries' celebration of the Egyptian-French cultural year.

It's Macron's first visit to Egypt and the second meeting with Sisi after their talks in Paris in October 2017.

Macron's three-day trip to Egypt comes as protests against his policies continue to be held on the streets in France.

Over the past couple of months, Macron has been facing domestic protests, mostly peaceful, held by demonstrators dressed in "yellow vests" against the French government's austerity measures including fuel price hikes.