Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, lauded the depth of ties binding Egypt and India, asserting Egypt’s keenness on promoting cooperation with India in the military and defense fields.
This came during President El Sisi’s meeting Monday with Indian Minister of Defense Rajnath Singh (photo) who said that military-to-military cooperation between both countries has reached a new level and that signing of MoU on defense cooperation is a major achievement, Indian Defense Update reported.
Both leaders agreed to further develop military cooperation and focus on joint training, defense coproduction and maintenance of equipment. They emphasized the need for coproduction and to discuss specific proposals in that regard. Rajnath Singh expressed appreciation for the firm stand taken by Egypt against terrorism. President Sisi emphasized that there is need for India & Egypt to exchange expertise and best practices in countering the threat of terrorism.
The Indian Defense Minister further acknowledged that Egypt is among the most important trading partners of India in Africa and that bilateral trade has expanded significantly. He noted with satisfaction the close cooperation in multilateral forums between India and Egypt. Rajnath Singh conveyed his best wishes for the successful hosting of COP27 in November 2022.
Furthermore, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh held bilateral talks with Egyptian Defense Minister General Mohamed Zaki The visiting Indian Minister was accorded a ceremonial Guard of Honor at the Ministry of Defense in Cairo, prior to the commencement of bilateral talks.
During the meeting, both sides discussed steps to strengthen defense ties and reached a consensus to enhance conduct of joint exercises and exchange of personnel for training, especially in the field of counter-insurgency.
The two Ministers also agreed to identify proposals for expanding cooperation between the defense industries of India and Egypt in a time-bound manner. They also exchanged views on regional security and acknowledged the contribution of India and Egypt to peace & stability in the world. Both sides expressed happiness at the intensified defense engagement and exchanges over the last year, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following the Defense Minister’s call on with the President of Egypt Mr. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, both Ministers agreed to consolidate and focus on enhancing security and defense aspects of bilateral cooperation. Signing of MoU by the two Defense Ministers on cooperation in the field of defense was a milestone event during the visit, which will pave the way for enhancing defense cooperation across all sectors of mutual interest.
Rajnath Singh also invited his Egyptian counterpart to the India-Africa Defense Dialogue and IOR Defense Ministers’ Conclave, scheduled to be held as part of 12th DefExpo in Gandhinagar, Gujarat between October 18-22, 2022.
As part of his day’s engagements, the Defense Minister paid homage at the Unknown Soldier Memorial and Tombstone of the late Egyptian President Anwar El–Sadat in Cairo.
