France will sell arms to Egypt despite human rights track record: Macron
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French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said that he would provide arms to Egypt regardless of their human rights track record
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said that he would provide arms to Egypt regardless of their human rights track record.
The president added that he does not want to weaken Egypt’s ability to fight terrorism in the region, even if the country continues to flout global human rights dictates.
"I will not condition matters of defence and economic cooperation on these disagreements (over human rights)," Macron said during a joint press conference.
He was speaking at a conference where he met President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The two leaders held talks in the Elysee Palace.
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"It is more effective to have a policy of demanding dialogue than a boycott which would only reduce the effectiveness of one our partners in the fight against terrorism," he added.
Earlier today, France welcomed Sisi with a Cavalry parade in Paris. France perceived Egypt as a force against Islamist militants in the peninsula of Sinai and in Libya.
Macron also alluded to the right to asylum.
"I will defend the right to asylum, until the end. The right to asylum means protecting those fighting for freedom, wherever they come from”, he said to Brut.
"We will always protect the right to asylum. But at present, the right to asylum is being twisted by trafficking networks, and you have a lot of people coming who will never have the right to asylum because they don't come from a place where they are under threat or where there is political conflict. But in some way, it is circumventing the right to asylum to help illegal migration channels. We need to stop this. If not, we will always be overwhelmed”, he said.
France added that an end to the abuse of the right to asylum by human traffickers is required.