Egypt is force multiplier for India: Egyptian strategic expert

Egypt viable for India’s defence manufacturing; Gateway to Africa, West Asia markets, says expert

CHENNAI | Updated: 27 January, 2023 8:40 pm IST
President Draupadi Murmu, PM Narendra Modi and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi at the Republic Day event on January 26

Elevation of Egypt’s relationship with India to a “strategic partnership” level during President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s India visit may lead the two nations to a prospective position to jointly manufacture arms and defence hardware, Egyptian expert Mohammed Soliman told The New Indian.

On being asked about the prospects of defence manufacturing and a strategic partnership between India and Egypt, Egyptian strategic expert Mohammed Soliman asserted, “Cairo is a force multiplier for Delhi. Egypt is a player in four key theatres: the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, Africa, and West Asia. By establishing defence production and manufacturing facilities in Egypt, Delhi’s defence sector will gain access to new markets in Africa and West Asia, while Cairo will be able to obtain the necessary defence technologies.”

Egyptian strategic expert Mohammed Soliman

 

India and Egypt are in talks to expand defence partnerships ranging from joint production to defence exercises. The two countries jointly developed the Helwan 300 fighter jet. During Egyptian President El-Sisi’s India visit between January 24–27, India and Egypt stressed defence and security and exchanged MoUs in the spheres of cyber security, culture, information technology, youth matters and broadcasting.

According to the Egyptian strategic expert, India and Egypt should protect their national interests, rather than leaning towards a party between Ukraine and its adversary Russia.

“In this era of great power competition, which intensified with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the escalating tensions over Taiwan, India and Egypt, other regional and middle powers should remain committed to the pursuit of their own national interests instead of answering the ultimatum of alignment in Ukraine,” Soliman, the director of the Strategic Technologies and Cyber Security Program at the Middle East Institute in Washington, told The New Indian.

Soliman conceptualised the idea of an Indo-Abrahamic strategic accord, which paved the way for the formation of I2U2, a strategic club of India, Israel, the UAE and the United States in a common framework.

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