India and Egypt has decided to enhance conduct of joint exercises and exchange of personnel for training, especially in the field of counter-insurgency, the Union Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.
The ministry stated that Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh, who is on a visit to Egypt, held bilateral talks with Egyptian Defence Minister General Mohamed Zaki in Cairo on Monday (September 19, 2022). And, the two Defence ministers signed an MoU on cooperation in the field of defence.
"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 said in a tweet.
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 ministry said in a release.
According to the release by the ministry, the two ministers also agreed to identify proposals for expanding cooperation between the defence industries of India and Egypt in a time-bound manner.
The two leaders 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 Raksha Mantri’s call on with President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, both the ministers agreed to consolidate and focus on enhancing security and defence aspects of bilateral cooperation.
Signing of MoU by the two Defence ministers on cooperation in the field of defence will pave the way for enhancing defence cooperation across all sectors of mutual interest.
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.
As a part of his day’s engagements, the Raksha Mantri paid homage at the Unknown Soldier Memorial and Tombstone of the late Egyptian President Anwar El–Sadat in Cairo. Singh was accorded a ceremonial Guard of Honour at the Ministry of Defence in Cairo, prior to the commencement of bilateral talks, the ministry stated.
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