Russia is holding consultations with Egypt on the deliveries of armament and Ka-52 combat helicopters for Mistral amphibious assault ships, Head of the Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugayev said in the run-up to the Russia-Africa Summit which opened in Sochi on Wednesday.

“The issue on the agenda is to further outfit Mistral ships with our armament and Ka-52 helicopters. We have quite serious cooperation with that country,” Shugayev stated in an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV Channel.

 Russia is currently holding consultations on the deliveries of rotorcraft, electronic warfare and air defense systems, the defense official said, stressing that Egypt “is a leading partner not only on the continent but generally in the sphere of military and technical cooperation.”

 Shugayev said in October 2018 that the Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation expected to reach an agreement in the immediate future on further outfitting the Egyptian Mistral helicopter carriers and supplying Ka-52 gunships for them.

 Egypt received the Mistral universal amphibious assault ships initially built for Russia in 2016. Russia later offered Egypt advanced armament, electronic warfare and communications systems for installing them on the helicopter carriers. 

On October 23-24, the resort city of Sochi hosted the Russia-Africa Summit, co-chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

 The leaders of all 54 African countries have been invited to come, and at least 40 of them have already confirmed their participation.

 Eight major African integration associations and organizations are also involved in the event. On the summit’s sidelines, an economic forum is taking place, as attended by the continent’s heads of state, and representatives of the business community and government agencies.

 The Roscongress Foundation is the organizer of the event, and TASS is the official photo host agency of the summit and economic forum.