Talks to expand bilateral defence ties, Rajnath Singh meets Egyptian counterpart

In a meeting with Egypt’s Defence Minister General Mohamed Zaki on Tuesday in Cairo, Rajnath Singh discussed a number of efforts to deepen bilateral defence ties between the two nations.

Union minister Rajnath Singh is on a three-day visit to Egypt.

Singh also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on defence cooperation, claiming that the action will strengthen relations between Egypt and India as well as give them impetus and dynamism.

In a tweet, Singh wrote, “Had an excellent meeting with Egypt’s Defence Minister, General Mohamed Zaki, in Cairo. We had wide-ranging discussions on several initiatives to further expand bilateral defence engagements. The signing of the MoU on Defence Cooperation adds new impetus and synergy to our relations.”

During the visit, the defence minister noted that the two countries’ trade has grown tremendously.

Rajnath Singh will be in Egypt for three days starting on Sunday in order to strengthen bilateral defence cooperation.

The two leaders decided to focus on joint training, defence co-production, and maintenance of Egypt’s status as one of the largest investment destinations for India in the region, with an existing Indian investment of USD 3.15 billion. Earlier on Monday, Singh called Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi in Cairo. Numerous projects are still being carried out by Indian enterprises in Egypt.

A delegation from the Indian Air Force also travelled to Egypt on June 22 to take part in a bilateral “Tactical Leadership Programme” with the Egyptian Air Force in order to strengthen defence cooperation between the two nations.

Since 2022 is the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Egypt and India, it bears special significance.

India and Egypt have cordial defence ties. The 1960s saw efforts to jointly build a fighter aircraft as a result of strong Air Force cooperation. From the 1960s to 1984, IAF pilots also trained Egyptian pilots. Since 2015, there have been a number of high-level visits and interactions between defence delegations.