His remarks came during a meeting with Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled al-Anany at Zamalek, in the presence of the director of the Institut français d’Égypte Jamel Oubechou and the director of The French Institute for Oriental Archaeology (IFAO) in Cairo Laurent Bavay, to discuss strengthening Egyptian-French cooperation in the tourism and archaeological sector.

The meeting also talked on ways to develop the flow of tourism from France to Egypt, and the efforts made in an Egyptian-French project rehabilitating the San Al-Hajar archaeological area in Tanis, Lower Egypt.

Another topic of discussion involved hosting workshops and training programs for the ministry’s workers on the management of archaeological sites and museums, alongside preparing to register archaeological sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Bavay said that the IFAO intends to develop its library to receive a greater number of researchers and scholars from Egypt’s archaeology and restoration sector.

Anany praised the relations between Egypt-France, especially in tourism and antiquities, as it they are based on a rich historical bond. In particular he pointed out the heightened close archaeological cooperation recently seen between both nations.