PARIS, March 8 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron held a phone conversation on Sunday with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi to discuss the situation in the Middle East.
In his X post, Macron said they discussed Lebanon issues, noting that "we must act to avoid escalation at all costs, return to the ceasefire, and strengthen the sovereignty of the Lebanese state by supporting the Lebanese armed forces."
Macron stressed the importance of securing maritime transport in the Red Sea as soon as possible, adding that freedom of navigation in this key area of global trade, particularly for energy resources, is essential for all economies.
Macron also noted that faced with the conflagration in the region, he and Sisi are determined to work towards de-escalation and to bring peace back to the Middle East.
The phone conversation came amid heightened regional tensions following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran starting on Feb. 28, to which Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on Israel and U.S. assets across the Middle East. ■