Egyptian Minister of Defence and Military Production, Mohamed Zaki, received in Cairo Tuesday Iraqi Defence Cinister, Thabet Muhammad Saeed al Abbas, and his accompanying delegation.

According to the Middle East News Agency (MENA), the two Ministers tackled regional and international developments and their impact on the region’s security and stability, amid the current challenges and circumstances.

They probed boosting cooperation in several domains, especially the military ones.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces praised partnership relations between the Armed Forces of Egypt and Iraq.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi Defence Minister - who is on a several days’ visit to Egypt - hailed Egypt’s pioneering regional and international role, voicing hope that the upcoming period would see further cooperation between the armed forces of both countries.

In another development, and within the framework of supporting and strengthening military cooperation and relations with friendly countries, the Egyptian and Indian Air Forces carried out a joint air exercise at an Egyptian air base earlier this week.

The training included implementation of a number of joint drills, including training on aerial refueling, which contributes to the exchange of training experiences between the elements participating from both sides, the Egyptian Ministry of Defense reported.

Meanwhile, Nasser Military Academy for Post-graduate Studies signed cooperation protocols with Damanhour University and the Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, which aim to maximize the benefit of scientific and educational expertise between the two parties, and to use the Academy’s expertise in topics of common interest.

The protocols also aim to exchange visits and cooperation in the fields of scientific research and knowledge, and to host the leaders and advisors of the Academy to hold a number of mass meetings for university students, as well as making the contents of scientific libraries available to scholars from both sides regarding the various topics of interest.

The protocols were signed by Major General Ashraf Mohamed Faris, Director of the Nasser Military Academy for Post-Graduate Studies, Prof. Dr. Abdel Hamid Al-Sayed, Acting President of Damanhour University, and Prof. Dr. Gamal Abd Rabbo, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, in the presence of number of leaders of the Armed Forces and number of officials from Al-Azhar and Damanhour Universities.