Egypt Eyes $4Bln Arms Deal With Russia

[BLACKEAGLE]

November 8 2013 at 5:26 AMCAIRO, November 7 (RIA Novosti)

Egypt is considering spending up to $4 billion on advanced weaponry from Russia following the partial suspension of military aid and equipment deliveries from the United States, a Palestinian online newspaper said Thursday.

According to Donia Al-Watan, Moscow has offered Cairo a historic deal giving Egypt an option to buy the most advanced weaponry without any restrictions.

The sources cited by Donia Al-Watan, an independent Palestine territory-based online news outlet, claim that an undisclosed Persian Gulf country had agreed to provide financing.

The report comes on the eve of a visit to Egypt by a Russian military delegation led by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. A source in the Russian Defense Ministry told RIA Novosti on Thursday that the delegation would visit Serbia and Egypt on November 12-15.

The source said the Russian delegation would include the first deputy director of the Federal Service on Military-Technical Cooperation, Andrei Boitsov, and officials from state-arms exporter Rosoboronexport.

The visit has been preempted by a bout of shuttle diplomacy between Moscow and Cairo with exchanges of unofficial visits and behind-closed-doors discussions in the past few weeks.

Rumors about Egypt turning toward Russia for military assistance to meet its security needs have been circulating in the media since last week and intensified around a recent visit to Egypt by US Secretary of State John Kerry, which has been widely considered an attempt to mend weakening bilateral ties and prevent potential military deals with Russia.

The Obama administration announced on October 9 that it had decided to hold the delivery of certain large-scale military systems and cash assistance to the [Egyptian] government pending credible progress toward an inclusive, democratically elected civilian government through free and fair elections.

According to US officials, the suspended aid included the delivery of four F-16 fighter jets, 10 Apache helicopters, M1A1 tank kits and Harpoon anti-ship missiles.

The announcement, as well as the US backing of deposed President Mohammed Morsi, has angered the current Egyptian authorities, prompting interim Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy to call US-Egyptian relations turbulent and unsettled.

Sources cited by Donia Al-Watan said Kerry had offered Egypt to restore all elements of the military aid, worth 1.5 billion annually, and bring bilateral relations to the previous level, but Egyptian Defense Minister Abdel Fattah el-Sisi rejected all US proposals.

For Moscow, the renewal of military ties with Egypt could signify a return in force to the Middle East while US diplomacy is failing all over the region.

The Soviet Union and Egypt enjoyed close ties during the 1960s and early 1970s, when the Arab country was led by Abdel Nasser. But within years after the death of Nasser, the new president Anwar Sadat started reorienting the country toward the West and expelled about 20,000 Russian military advisers stationed in Egypt in July 1972. Bilateral relations have since never warmed up to the previous friendship level.

Egypt Eyes $4Bln Arms Deal With Russia – Media | World | RIA Novosti

 

[Frogman]

Russia, Egypt to have first-ever 2+2 ministerial meeting on November 13-14
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet with their Egyptian colleagues in the 2+2 format in Cairo on November 13-14, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said.

"The Russian foreign and defense ministers will convene with their Egyptian colleagues in the 2+2 format in Cairo on November 13-14. That would be the first conversation held in this format in the history of our friendly relations," Lukashevich told a press briefing in Moscow on Friday.

The use of this negotiating mechanism "demonstrates the priority ascribed by Russia to further comprehensive development of its relations with Egypt," Lukashevich stressed.

Voice of Russia, Interfax

Russia ready to supply weapons to Egypt, whose solvency remains undecided – Rosoboronexport

Russia is interested in supplying arms to Egypt, the only question is its solvency, a senior representative of Rosoboronexport informed RIA Novosti on Friday commenting on media reports that issues of weapons supplies to Cairo to the amount of more than $ 4 billion will be discussed next week during the visit of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to Egypt.


"The traditional relations, which developed from relations between the USSR and Egypt into Russia - Egypt relations in the field of weapons supplies, remain intact. We are ready to hold negotiations with the Egyptian side on the possibility of both supplying new military equipment and repairing the equipment delivered during the Soviet times", - the Agency’s interlocutor said.

Voice of Russia, AFP

Russia sending foreign, defence chiefs to Egypt

Russia's foreign and defence ministers will travel to Cairo next week for joint talks with their Egyptian counterparts about weapons sales and political relations, a Russian official said on Friday.


Moscow's foreign ministry spokesman said the "2+2" talks will be held on Wednesday and Thursday and for the first time involve both Russia's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.


"The visit and discussion in such a format will be conducted for the first time in the history of our friendly relations (with Egypt)," spokesman Alexander Lukashevich told reporters.


Lukashevich said the discussion will touch on "military and technical cooperation" -- a Russian euphemism for arms sales -- as well as political and economic ties.


"We are sincerely interested in seeing Egypt... continue moving toward social and political improvements that benefit all its people," Lukashevich said.


Russia has had complicated but sometimes close relations with Egypt that included Soviet-era support for the deposed ex-president Hosni Mubarak.


Moscow has also said little about this year's ouster of Islamist-backed president Mohamed Morsi.


But Egypt's Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi has said that Cairo may look to Moscow for weapons after having some its military aid suspended by Washington over its crackdown on Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood movement.

Russia, Egypt to have first-ever 2+2 ministerial meeting on November 13-14 - News - Politics - The Voice of Russia: News, Breaking news, Politics, Economics, Business, Russia, International current events, Expert opinion, podcasts, Video
Russia ready to supply weapons to Egypt, whose solvency remains undecided – Rosoboronexport - News - World - The Voice of Russia: News, Breaking news, Politics, Economics, Business, Russia, International current events, Expert opinion, podcasts, Video
Russia sending foreign, defence chiefs to Egypt | GlobalPost

 

[Yeti]

Russian arms are more robust and cheaper to buy , you would get more bang for your buck with Russia not to mention less strings attached compared to America.

 

[Tacticool]

Egypt can buy jf-17 block 2 and can joint venture in stealth variant

 

[vostok]

Not bad.
Iraq, Egypt - it seems that Russia is returning to the Middle East.

 

[Basel]

Why US is not providing required weapons systems to Iraq and Egypt, after all they must have known that these nations will look for other suppliers.

 

[Doritos11]

Why US is not providing required weapons systems to Iraq and Egypt, after all they must have known that these nations will look for other suppliers.

I don't get it either, now they will not only lose money from billions of dollar deals with Iraq and Egypt but also have less influence & control.

 

[Basel]

@Daoritos I m also surprised because by leaving Iraq like that after removing Saddam and killing so many ppl what US really get, they wanted a friendly regime there did'nt they got what they want in Iraq? and US always provide military assistance and sell hardware to its friendly regime.

So why they are abandoning two US friendly countries in Middle East? and allowing Russia to re-establish some of its presence in Middle East, from where they are nearly thrown out by the US.

 

[500]

a Palestinian online newspaper said Thursday.

 

[Zarvan]

@Frogman what weapons are you going to buy

 

[Frogman]

@Frogman what weapons are you going to buy

There,s a lot of speculation but nothing has been said by either the Armed Forces or the Russians. Give it two weeks and we may have some news.

 

[agentny17]

I don't buy these "reports" honestly, but we will see.

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

Anything that can enhance Egypt's military capability is going to be great..

 

[Frogman]

Russia negotiates its biggest arms deal with Egypt since the Cold War after Barack Obama cuts defence aid.


Russia is negotiating its biggest weapons deals with Egypt since the Cold War as it seeks to capitalize on U.S. President Barack Obama’s decision to cut defence aid to the military-backed government.

Egypt is seeking as much as US$2 billion in Russian weaponry, including MiG-29 fighter planes, air-defence systems and anti-tank missiles, said Ruslan Pukhov, a member of the Russian Defence Ministry’s advisory board and head of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies in Moscow.


The Russian defence and foreign ministers will fly to Cairo this week for two days of talks with Egyptian officials on “military-technical” cooperation, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Nov. 8. Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy confirmed the arms talks in an interview with Russia’s state-run Arabic language channel RT Tuesday.

The Obama administration last month suspended some military aid to Egypt, including US$260 million in cash and deliveries of F-16 fighter jets, helicopters and tanks in an effort to prod the North African country toward democracy. Egypt’s army ousted President Mohamed Mursi in July, leading to clashes between security forces and Mursi’s supporters in the Muslim Brotherhood that have left more than 1,000 people dead.


The Russian visit sends “a strong political message that stresses the desire” of Russia “to bolster relations and cooperate with Egypt in all fields,” Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Badr Abdelatty said by phone Tuesday. This doesn’t mean “substituting one party with another but rather diversifying the alternatives and choices.”


Egyptian officials are seeking financing from an unidentified Persian Gulf country to buy as much as US$4 billion of Russian arms, Palestinian newspaper Dunia al-Watan reported Nov. 6, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter. Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have pledged at least US$12 billion to Egypt’s new government.

Russia signed a weapons deal with Iraq last year that’s worth more than US$4.2 billion, its biggest with that Middle Eastern country since the ouster of Saddam Hussein in 2003.


At the top of Egypt’s shopping list is the MiG-29 M2 fighter jet, an advanced version of the Soviet-designed aircraft, Pukhov said in an interview in the Russian capital. Egypt is interested in 24 of the warplanes, a package that may be worth US$1.7 billion, according to Pukhov.


Egypt may also be interested in short- to medium-range Russian defence systems such as the Buk M2, Tor M2 and Pantsir- S1, according to Said Aminov, editor-in-chief of pvo.guns.ru, a defense information portal.


“The only issue is Egypt’s ability to pay,” Igor Korotchenko, another member of the Defence Ministry’s advisory board, said by phone from Moscow. “Russia is prepared to supply a wide range of arms to meet Egypt’s requirements.”

A spokesman for Russian arms broker Rosoboronexport, Vyacheslav Davidenko, declined to comment on the Cairo talks. Egyptian military spokesman Ahmed Mohamed Ali couldn’t be immediately reached for comment.


The Egyptian government installed by the army after Mursi’s overthrow has said it expects to hold elections next year. Egypt, an American ally for more than three decades, received about US$1.3 billion a year in military aid from the U.S. prior to Mursi’s ouster.


Egypt and the Soviet Union became allies in the 1950s when Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev forged ties. Egypt received Soviet military assistance, including during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, and the Soviets financed infrastructure projects such as the Aswan Dam to irrigate land and supply electricity.


The ties lapsed after Nasser’s death in 1970, when the Arab nationalist was succeeded by Anwar Sadat, who set the regional power on a pro-U.S. track that accelerated under Hosni Mubarak, who was toppled in 2011. In 1972, Sadat expelled thousands of Soviet advisers and in 1976 ended a treaty on friendship and cooperation with the Soviet Union.

“They are trying to send the U.S. a strong message by approaching Russia the way they are, which is ‘unless you stop linking military aid with political issues, we’re going to look elsewhere,’” Yasser el-Shimy, an analyst for the International Crisis Group in Cairo, said by phone Tuesday.


“A lot will depend on how willing Gulf countries are to finance Egypt’s arms purchases from Russia,” el-Shimy said.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/1...cold-war-after-barack-obama-cuts-defence-aid/
Russia negotiates its biggest arms deal with Egypt since the Cold War after Barack Obama cuts defence aid | National Post

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Of course everything from now to a deal (if signed) is just speculation, the deal can actually involve different weapon systems than those mentioned in the article.

 

[shazlion]