NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Egyptian Defence Minister General Mohamed Zaki signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Cairo, Egypt on Monday on cooperation in the field of defence. The Indian Defence Minister is on a two-day official visit to Egypt.
Terming it a milestone event of the visit, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in a statement said the MoU “will pave the way for enhancing defence cooperation across all sectors of mutual interest.”
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held bilateral talks with the Egyptian Defence Minister on Monday.
During the meeting, both sides discussed steps to strengthen defence ties and reached a consensus to enhance the 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 defence 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 and stability in the world. Both sides expressed happiness at the intensified defence engagement and exchanges over the last year, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rajnath Singh in an official tweet described the meeting as excellent. “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”, Singh added.
Prior to the two defence ministers holding bilateral talks, Rajnath Singh had a call-on with the President of Egypt Mr Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, both the Ministers agreed to consolidate and focus on enhancing security and defence aspects of bilateral cooperation.
Rajnath Singh also invited his Egyptian counterpart to the India-Africa Defence Dialogue and IOR Defence Ministers’ Conclave, scheduled to be held as part of the 12th DefExpo in Gandhinagar, Gujarat between October 18-22, 2022.
As part of his day’s engagements, the defence minister paid homage at the Unknown Soldier Memorial and Tombstone of the late Egyptian President Anwar El–Sadat in Cairo.