RUSSIA OFFERING EGYPT HELICOPTERS, AIR DEFENCE SYSTEMS
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Egypt on Thursday pursuing the huge collaboration between both after US halts its annually aids to Egypt due to its internal crisis.
Lavrov confirmed that military collaboration was discussed in talks between Shoigu and his Egyptian counterpart General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi but gave no further details, Ahram reported as quoted by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).
However Mikhail Zavaly, a senior official with Russia’s arms export agency Rosoboronexport who will lead its delegation at the upcoming Dubai air show, confirmed Russia wanted to sell military hardware to Egypt.
“Now we are offering Egypt modern helicopters, air defence equipment and the modernisation of previously purchased military equipment,” he told the RIA Novosti news agency.
Lavrov, at the joint press conference with Egyptian counterpart Nabil Fahmy, said talks between the two sides had also touched on boosting economic and trade ties.
Fahmy said that “bilateral ties between Russia and Egypt are old, in particular in military areas, and this was discussed by the Russian defence minister with his Egyptian counterpart yesterday”.
Lavrov declined to be drawn into commenting on political developments in Egypt, after the military coup ousted its freely elected president and put most of brotherhood leaders, including Morsi himself, on jail.
“Russia is against any foreign intervention in internal affairs and we respect Egypt’s sovereignty and the rights of Egyptian people to determine their future,” he said.
The latest talks are the first at such a high level between the two countries “in the history of our friendly relations,” Russian foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said last week.
Lukashevich had said the discussions would touch on “military and technical cooperation” — a Russian euphemism for arms sales — as well as political and economic ties..(T/P03)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
