Egypt is set to receive three additional French Rafale jets amid the framework of the Egyptian-French cooperation in armament, French Ambassador to Egypt André Parant said in a press conference Tuesday.
He said military cooperation between Egypt and France is progressing very actively within the framework of close cooperation, especially in the field of armament.
Parant said Egypt will receive two Mistral-class assault ships during the first half of 2016. He further highlighted that France is not under US pressure to prevent the armament of Egypt.
He pointed out that France has already delivered three Rafale jets and is set to deliver another three jets within weeks. Egypt received three Rafale fighter jets from France in July, the first of 24 warplanes sold in a €5.2bn ($5.6bn) deal earlier in 2015.
Regarding security cooperation with Egypt, he said: “It is a positive cooperation and has increased especially after the Paris attacks, which led to the strengthening of cooperation, not only with Egypt, but also with every interested country in general”.
Also speaking at the press conference, Walid Fouad, the Director of Morpho, a subsidiary of the French Safran group in Egypt specialised in security systems, said: “Safran global group company is considering using Suez Canal Area for industrial production during the upcoming phase.” He said the company is considering establishing a factory for aircraft components.
Fouad further pointed out that Morpho is willing to cooperate with any international consultant chosen by the Egyptian government to boost the security procedures within Egyptian airports.
Morpho can provide solutions and systems to secure the airports and is cooperating with the Egyptian government in this regard. He noted that the company has collaborated with the government to supply systems for the detection of explosives.
