Mohamed Sabry Emam Muhammed
18 April 2016•Update: 21 April 2016
By Mahmoud Ghareb
CAIRO
French President Francois Hollande on Monday said that unrest in Egypt poses a challenge to the country’s development efforts.
Speaking at the opening of an Egyptian-French economic forum in Cairo, Hollande said that many French companies are still working in the Arab country.
“No French firm has stopped working in Egypt since 2011,” he said, noting that France is the sixth largest investor in Egypt.
Egypt has been roiled by turmoil since a popular uprising in 2011 unseated long-serving autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
Hollande arrived in Cairo on Sunday on a three-day visit, leading a high-profile business delegation.
The French leader said that French companies are ready to invest in the Suez Canal Economic Zone, on which Cairo pins high hopes for achieving economic development.
On Sunday, Hollande and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi signed a flurry of agreements.
Relations between Egypt and France have improved since Sisi, a former army chief, was elected president in 2014, one year after ousting President Mohamed Morsi in a military coup.
