Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, who is in Egypt on a three-day visit, met with his defense minister, General Mohamed Zaki, in Cairo on Tuesday and held wide-ranging talks on numerous initiatives to further expand bilateral defense engagements between the two countries.
Singh also signed a memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation, saying the move will not only strengthen India-Egypt ties but also bring new impetus and synergy to ties between the two countries.
In a tweet, Singh wrote: “We had an excellent meeting with Egyptian Defense Minister General Mohamed Zaki in Cairo. We had extensive discussions on several initiatives to further expand bilateral defense engagements and create synergy for our relationship.”
During the visit, the defense minister also acknowledged that Egypt is among India’s key trading partners in Africa and that bilateral trade has increased significantly.
Rajnath Singh is on a three-day visit to Egypt starting Sunday to further expand defense cooperation between the two countries.
Earlier Monday, Singh called Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi in Cairo and both leaders agreed to further develop military cooperation and focus on joint training, defense co-production and maintenance of eEgypt is one of the biggest investment targets for India in of the region with an existing Indian investment of USD 3.15 billion. Indian companies continue to carry out several projects in Egypt.
In addition, to strengthen defense cooperation between the two countries, a team from the Indian Air Force arrived in Egypt on June 22 to participate in a bilateral Tactical Leadership Program with the Egyptian Air Force.
The year 2022 is of particular significance as it marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Egypt.
Egypt and India also maintain cordial defense relations. There was close cooperation between the air forces, with efforts to jointly develop a fighter aircraft in the 1960s. IAF pilots had also trained Egyptian pilots from the 1960s to 1984. In the recent past, since 2015, there have been several high-level visits by defense delegations.
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