Turns out defense expos are good places to talk arms sales
Arms talks at the EDEX: The heads of French defense firm Dassault Aviation and South Korea’s Hanwha — two companies that are negotiating arms sales with the Egyptian government — held talks with President Abdel Fattah El Sisi at the Egypt Defense Expo (EDEX) yesterday, Ittihadiya said.
Egypt has ongoing relationships with both these companies: The government earlier this year finalized a USD 4.8 bn contract with Dassault to purchase 30 Rafale fighter jets, the deliveries of which should start in 2024. Meanwhile, the military is currently in talks with Hanwha to purchase a number of K9 Thunder howitzers for USD 2 bn, South Korean media reported last month.
Also taking place yesterday:
- President Abdel Fattah El Sisi virtually attended the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation yesterday, according to an Ittihadiya statement. The forum was attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping and a number of African leaders and witnessed discussions on ways to consolidate the constructive partnership between the African continent and China.
- Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry attended the forum for the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) in Barcelona yesterday, during which he held talks with a number of European foreign ministers — including Spain, Luxembourg and Hungary — Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi, and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
- More Egypt-Jordan-Iraq cooperation: Egypt’s Communication Ministry, its Iraqi counterpart and the Jordanian Digital Economy And Entrepreneurship Ministry signed a letter of intent to cooperate on AI and capacity building, according to a cabinet statement.