New Delhi: Defence minister Rajnath Singh and his Egyptian counterpart Mohamed Zaki have agreed to identify proposals for expanding cooperation between the defence industries of two countries in a time-bound manner, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

Singh, who is on an official visit to Egypt, was accorded a ceremonial Guard of Honour at the Ministry of Defence in Cairo, prior to the commencement of bilateral talks.

Had an excellent meeting with Egypt’s Defence Minister, General Mohamed Zaki in Cairo. We had wide-ranging discussions on several initiatives to further expand bilateral Defence engagements. Signing of the MoU on Defence Cooperation adds new impetus and synergy to our relations. pic.twitter.com/NmlUOu9OmJ

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) September 20, 2022

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During the meeting, both sides discussed steps to strengthen defence ties and reached a consensus to enhance conduct of joint exercises and exchange of personnel for training, especially in the field of counter-insurgency.

The two Ministers also agreed to identify proposals for expanding cooperation between the defence industries of India and Egypt in a time-bound manner. They also exchanged views on regional security and acknowledged the contribution of India and Egypt to peace & stability in the world, the statement said.

Following the defence minister’s call with the Egypt President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, both the ministers agreed to consolidate and focus on enhancing security and defence aspects of bilateral cooperation.

“Signing of MoU by the two defence ministers on cooperation in the field of defence was a milestone event during the visit, which will pave the way for enhancing defence cooperation across all sectors of mutual interest,” stated the Ministry of Defence.

Singh also invited his Egyptian counterpart to the India-Africa Defence Dialogue and IOR Defence Ministers’ Conclave, scheduled to be held as part of 12th DefExpo in Gandhinagar, Gujarat between October 18-22, 2022.