Modi, Sisi agree to expand defence ties

India and Egypt agreed on Wednesday to expand military cooperation, including between the defence industries of the two nations, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Egypt President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in New Delhi decided to elevate the bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership.

New Delhi is hosting the 68-year-old military leader-turned-politician as it hopes to add new momentum to the India-Egypt defence cooperation with joint war drills and a proposed export of 70 Tejas Light Combat Aircraft to the Arab Republic.

“We have decided that we will develop a long-term framework of greater cooperation in political, security, economic, and scientific fields under the India-Egypt strategic partnership,” Modi said after meeting Sisi.

The two leaders witnessed the signing of five agreements to step up bilateral cooperation in information technology, cybersecurity, culture, youth matters, and broadcasting.

The two leaders set the target of taking the bilateral trade up to $ 12 billion in next five years.

Sisi has been on a four-day visit to New Delhi since Tuesday. He is the chief guest of the Republic Day ceremony.

“There is also immense potential to enhance security and defence cooperation between us,” Modi said, addressing the media jointly with Sisi.

“In the past few years, there has been a significant increase in joint exercise training and capacity building between our armies. We have also decided in today’s meeting to further strengthen cooperation between our defence industries, and enhance the exchange of information and intelligence related to counter-terrorism,” he said.

Their meeting saw both sides discussing India’s offer of 70 Tejas LCAs for the Egyptian Air Force. They also discussed India’s proposal for HAL to set up joint manufacturing facilities in Egypt. India also offered Egypt helicopters developed by HAL.

Egypt is also interested in the made-in-India Akash missile system and the Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation.

Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra later told journalists that the two sides had agreed to expand defence cooperation in the areas of training, exercises, industrial partnership, and platforms and equipment.

“We are unanimous in our opinion that terrorism is the most serious security threat to humanity. Both countries also agree that concerted action is necessary to end cross-border terrorism. And for this, together we will continue to try to alert the international community,” Modi said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited Cairo on September 19 and 20. He had also called on the President of Egypt. He and his counterpart Gen Mohamed Zaki agreed to identify proposals for expanding cooperation between the defence industries of India and Egypt and exchanged views on regional security. Singh and Zaki had signed an MoU to step up defence cooperation.

India had in 1963 sent Group Captain Kapil Bhargava of the IAF to help Egypt to flight test the HA 300 fighter aircraft developed at ‘Factory 36’ in the southern suburb of Cairo. It had later gifted the Egyptian Air Force a modified HF-24 (Mk IBX) aircraft developed by the HAL and deputed a 30-member team at Helwan near Cairo for its maintenance. Egypt, however, had started relying more on the Soviet Union for military aircraft after suffering setbacks in the “Six-Day War” against Israel in 1967 and its collaboration with India for developing engines and fighter jets had not proceeded further.

New Delhi is now keen to revive the bilateral defence cooperation with Cairo.