CAIRO, Sept 20:
India and Egypt have signed an Agreement on cooperation in the field of defence that will pave the way for enhancing defence cooperation across all sectors of mutual interest.
The MoU was signed during Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s bilateral talks with his Egyptian counterpart Gen Mohamed Zaki in Cairo on Monday, the Defence Ministry said.
“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.
Signing of the MoU on Defence Cooperation adds new impetus and synergy to our relations,” Rajnath Singh tweeted. Signing of the MoU was a “milestone event” during the visit, which will pave the way for enhancing defence cooperation across all sectors of mutual interest, the Ministry added.
Rajnath Singh is on an official visit to Egypt. He was accorded a ceremonial Guard of Honour at the Ministry of Defence in Cairo prior to the commencement of bilateral talks between the two countries.
During the meeting, both sides discussed steps to strengthen defence ties and reached a consensus to enhance conduct of joint exercises and exchange of personnel for training, especially in the field of counter-insurgency, the Defence Ministry added.
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. Following the Defence Minister’s call on with the President of Egypt 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 12th DefExpo in Gandhinagar, Gujarat between October 18-22, 2022.
The Defence Minister also paid homage at the Unknown Soldier Memorial and Tombstone of the late Egyptian President Anwar El-Sadat in Cairo. (UNI)
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