Egypt, Germany to advance military cooperation

CAIRO - 19 November 2019: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi received in his residence in Berlin German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer as they agreed to reinforce channels of consultation and coordination over regional matters of mutual interest and supraregional impact.

Both parties examined updates on the Syrian and Libyan crises and achieved congruence over the unity, territorial integrity, and cohesion of the national institutions of those states. They also agreed to develop existing military cooperation.

President Sisi expressed Egypt’s eagerness “to extend cooperation with Germany in the fields of security, countering terrorism, and combating illegal migration in light of the major challenges facing the Middle East,” the statement released by presidency spokesperson Bassam Rady read on Tuesday.

On her side, Kramp-Karrenbauer expressed her appreciation for the growth in Egyptian-German relations, and the intensive coordination between both countries during the meetings of Egyptian President Sisi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The minister asserted the necessity to bolster the military and security aspect of the bilateral relations, particularly in countering terrorism, praising the Egyptian efforts on that front.

On Monday, President Sisi met a delegation from the Federation of German Security and Defence Industries, asserting the need for expertise exchange in that sector. The meeting was attended by Military Production Minister Mohamed al-Assar and Chairman of the Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI) Abdel Moneim al-Taras.

The German and Egyptian parties discussed the possibility of joint manufacturing given the promising qualifications of the Egyptian Military Production Ministry and the AOI.

In May, Egypt received a third of four Type 209/1400 submarine from Germany. Mid-2018, Siemens AG accomplished co-building three gas-fired combined cycle power plants, which cost $6 billion and whose total combined capacity is 14.4 gigawatts.

In February, Investment and International Cooperation Minister Sahar Nasr stated that German investments in Egypt stand at $7.1 billion in different fields with some 1215 German companies operating in the country.

She detailed that such investments are in the fields of information technology, communication, agricultural services, manufacturing, petrochemicals, engineering and car industries, among others.

President Sisi arrived in Germany on Sunday to attend the G20-Initiative Compact with Africa (CwA) held on Tuesday. On the sidelines, he met with a number of German officials and delegations.

'Development in Africa achieves mutual interests': Sisi in G20 initiative

CAIRO- 19 November 2019: "Development in Africa will have its impact on the Mediterrenean region and will achieve mutual interests," President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi said in his speech at the opening of the G20-Initiative Compact with Africa (CwA) held in Germany Tuesday.