English 
On the sidelines of the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, and in the presence of Dr. Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and Mr. Philippe Baptiste, French Minister of Higher Education and Research, Dr. Abdelaziz Konsowa, President of Alexandria University, signed several protocols and agreements to enhance joint cooperation between Alexandria University and several French universities. The signing ceremony was held as part of the Egyptian-French Universities Forum.
The signing of the agreements was witnessed by Mr. Eric Chevallier, Ambassador of France to Egypt, a number of presidents of Egyptian and French universities, Dr. Ali Abdel Mohsen, Acting Vice President of Alexandria University for Education and Student Affairs, Dr. Jihane Goivel, Assistant President of Alexandria University for Internationalization of Education and International University Branches, higher education leaders from both countries, secretaries of councils, and heads of research centers and institutes. The ceremony was held in the Grand Conference Hall at Cairo University.
In his speech, Dr. Ayman Ashour thanked both President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and President Emmanuel Macron of France for their support, which has been a fundamental pillar in achieving qualitative development in cooperation between the two countries in all fields, especially higher education and scientific research. He emphasized the depth of the historical relations between Egypt and France, particularly in the fields of higher education and scientific research. He noted Egypt's keenness to strengthen cultural and scientific cooperation with France and open more channels of cooperation with French universities by developing new programs and specializations required by the labor market. He explained that this comes in implementation of the political leadership's directives to expand cooperation with international universities with distinguished international reputations and standing, to benefit from their expertise in providing world-class academic programs. He also noted the Ministry's success in establishing partnerships with a number of international educational institutions. For his part, Dr. Qansouh emphasized Alexandria University's commitment to strengthening cooperation with France in various scientific and cultural fields, pointing to the extensive relations and joint degrees it has with several French universities. He explained that during the forum, five cooperation agreements were signed between Alexandria University and the French universities of Lyon 3, Cergy, Littoral, Poitiers, and Aix-Marseille. These agreements aim to provide a program to meet the needs of future jobs and to award dual degrees. These agreements aim to enhance academic and research cooperation and community service between French and Egyptian universities, support cooperation in the field of training and academic activities by developing joint study programs and curricula, coordinate educational activities between universities in both countries, enhance scientific and educational cooperation in areas of mutual interest, facilitate the exchange of students, faculty, and administrative staff, establish programs that award double or joint degrees, and exchange information on academic achievements in specific fields. The University President also highlighted the role of the Alexandria University branch in Chad as a platform for serving French-speaking African countries, as part of the university's strategic plan to internationalize education and establish branches of highly ranked foreign universities in cooperation and coordination with Alexandria University. For his part, Mr. Philippe Baptiste stressed that the historical academic and scientific cooperation between France and Egypt has yielded significant results over the ages in the fields of training, research, and innovation. He emphasized that this forum represents a pivotal moment for strengthening ties and setting ambitious horizons for further strengthening our bilateral partnership. He pointed out that France and Egypt renew their joint commitment to providing distinguished higher education and scientific research, with a clear goal: to jointly provide their citizens with the tools to enable them to face the challenges of the future and contribute effectively to the development of both countries.
