France won’t condition weapons sales to Egypt on human rights, Macron says

French President Emmanuel Macron said his country will continue selling arms to Egypt despite calls to curb weapons sales in light of the Egyptian government’s poor human rights record. 

"I will not condition matters of defense and economic cooperation on these disagreements," Macron said during a joint remarks with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the Elysee Palace in Paris.

"It is more effective to have a policy of demanding dialogue than a boycott, which would only reduce the effectiveness of one of our partners in the fight against terrorism," he said.

Macron has in the past justified weapons sales by saying Egypt would turn to Russia and China for arms if spurned by France. He’s also stressed Egypt’s role as a counterterrorism partner in the region, where the North African country is fending off an insurgency in northern Sinai and backing renegade commander Khalifa Hifter’s forces in Libya.