French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday rejected criticism of his close ties with visiting Egyptian dictator Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, saying that to take a tougher line on respect for human rights would be "counterproductive".
Macron hosted Sisi, whom he referred to as his "friend" for talks on the second day of the Egyptian's three-day state visit to France.
Ahead of their discussions Amnesty International and other rights groups accused France of having "long indulged President al-Sisi's brutal repression of any form of dissent" and said it was "now or never" for Macron to stand up for human rights.
But the French leader refrained from direct criticism of former army general Sisi, who has cracked down on supporters of ousted first-democratically-elected president Mohammed Morsi, as well as on leftists and liberals.
Macron told a joint press conference with Sisi that he had brought up the issue of human rights during their discussions and said he remained "a constant advocate of democratic and social openness".
But he ruled out conditioning France's deepening defence and trade ties with Egypt on the issue of rights.
"I think it is more effective to have a policy of dialogue than a policy of boycott which would reduce the effectiveness of one of our partners in the fight against terrorism and for regional stability," he said.
To force the issue of human rights would be both "ineffective on the subject of human rights and counter-productive in the fight against terrorism, that's why I won't do it," he added.
France views Egypt as a key ally in the fight against terrorism and an important client for its warships and fighter jets.
