India, Egypt to enhance defence ties

Being two of the traditional trading partners in the Asian continent, India and Egypt have now put their best foot forward to enhance defence skills taking the earlier cooperation in economic and political sphere. The two sides on Tuesday discussed a series of defence related issues on the occasion of the second Indo-Egypt Joint Defence Committee Meeting.

An Egyptian delegation comprising of Maj Gen Mohamed Mohsen Saad El Shazly, Deputy Chief of Operation Authority of the Egyptian Armed Forces met the Minister of State for Defence Dr. MM Pallam Raju in New Delhi on Tuesday where they discussed the ways they can work on the enrichment of defence cooperation and greater interaction between their Armed Forces.

Very good bilateral relationships has been established between the two countries from the very beginning of Non-Aligned Movement, and are now two of the emerging stabilizing forces in the world’s two strategic regions - South Asia and Middle East.

Dr. Pallam Raju expressed the hope that India and Egypt, as members of G-15, will play a constructive part in South-South Cooperation apart from the existing trade partnerships in Africa.

The two countries months before on April 15 had signed agreement to enhance trade cooperation, when Egyptian Trade and Industry Minister Rachid and his Indian counter part Kamal Nath settled for the same to establish joint business council for growing the business communities and many others to boost up their trade ties. It is also practical for both the economies having a similar growth rate of 8 percent and above.

The Minister also expressed his happiness over the increasing training cooperation between the forces of both the countries in each other’s Defence Training Institutes. Dr. Pallam Raju stressed that India follows a policy of having cordial relations and peaceful co-existence with all its neighbours based on the principle of Panchsheel.

To improve defence cooperation, both the countries signed a series of agreement including proposals for training and visits of soldiers to each other’s Defence Institutes for mutual interest.