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Russia to propose military deal to Egypt

October 18, 2018 at 3:59 am

Russia is due to offer a range of weapons and military equipment to the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi during his current visit to the country’s coastal city of Sochi, the president’s aide, Yury Ushakov, announced yesterday.

“The military equipment to be offered might be purchased by Cairo in the future,” Ushakov said.

The Russian diplomat noted that the two leaders “would sign a number of bilateral agreements” during their meeting.

Sisi arrived in Moscow on Monday to hold talks with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, as well as other senior state officials on ways to boost bilateral cooperation between the two countries. This is Sisi’s visit to Russia since he took office in 2014.

Read: Russia signs ‘comprehensive partnership’ deal with Egypt

Mutual cooperation between the two countries developed after Al-Sisi was sworn into office in June 2014, particularly at the level of military cooperation, however, relations strained after a Russian passenger jet crashed over the Sinai Peninsula in October 2015.

The resumption of Russian air traffic to Egypt earlier this year played a significant role in mitigating relations between the two countries.

Putin paid a visit to Egypt for the second time last December, during which he agreed to build Egypt’s Al-Dabaa nuclear power plant. He also visited the North African country in February 2015 to attend the signing of a number of deals between Cairo and Moscow.

Since Sisi’s assumption in office, military armament deals have been the spearhead of the country’s foreign relations, especially with the United States, France, Russia and Germany.