Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed on Friday to join efforts to help restore stability in Libya, fight terrorism and promote coordination to maintain security and stability in the Middle East, the Mediterranean basin and Africa.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the One Ocean Summit in the French city of Brest. A statement by the Egyptian presidency said the talks touched on strategic bilateral relations, especially at the economic, commercial, military and security levels.

Macron said his country was proud of its strong and distinguished relations with Egypt, stressing “the commitment of the French administration to consolidate joint cooperation in various fields, and to support the tireless efforts of President Sisi to achieve comprehensive and sustainable development, and to combat terrorism and extremist ideology in the entire region.”

Sisi pointed to “the special importance that Egypt attaches to strengthening cooperation with France, especially with regard to the transfer of French expertise and technology.”

Egyptian presidential spokesman, Ambassador Bassam Rady said the meeting discussed regional issues of common interest, especially the latest developments in Libya, where Macron expressed his country’s appreciation for the Egyptian efforts to preserve Libya’s national institutions and promote a political settlement to the crisis.

The two sides also reviewed cooperation within the framework of Egypt’s hosting of the global climate summit in Sharm El-Sheikh in November.

Addressing the One Ocean Summit on Friday, Sisi stressed that climate change “remains the most difficult challenge facing us, with its negative effects that extend to various aspects of life…”

“International efforts to overcome the negative effects of climate change on the seas and oceans are still not up to the desired level,” he said, calling for “intensifying international efforts to protect our seas and oceans from these effects, and to preserve their sustainability and the diversity of marine life.”

Sisi announced that his country would join the declaration to be issued at the summit under the title, “Protecting the Ocean: Time for Action”, as well as the initiatives of the Global Ocean Alliance and the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People.