MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA -Russia Ties Blossom OE Watch Commentary: Russian-Egyptian ties continue to blossom in three key areas: head-of-state relations, military cooperation and shared media narratives. Last October, the two heads of state co- hosted the Russian-African Summit and Economic Forum in Sochi, where Russia offered to mediate the Egypt-Ethiopia Nile dispute. Planning is currently underway for President Vladimir Putin of Russia to visit Egypt next year, and the countries have agreed to hold two summits a year, one in and one in Moscow. In mid-November, a Russian military delegation led by the minister of defense visited Cairo for the “Sixth Joint Commission on Defense Cooperation.” The meeting took place days after the conclusion of a joint air defense exercise, also hosted by Egypt, called “Arrow of Friendship-1.” Egyptian expenditures on Russian armaments are on the rise, including a purported deal to acquire Russian Su-35 fighter jets that could become effective Egypt-Russia Sixth Joint Commission on Defense Cooperation (November 2019). in 2020. Egyptian media has batted down criticism of Source: Russian Defense Ministry, http://ar.mil.ru/images/upload/2019/SAVX7866-1200.JPG, CC by 4.0 the deal, reminding its domestic audience that Egypt is a sovereign nation that deliberately chooses to diversify its weapons sources for strategic reasons. The diversification mandate is a popular one, according to a retired military officer now serving in Egypt’s parliament, who during a call-in to a popular TV talk show explained that “all the Egyptian people stand behind their political leaders in diversifying weapons sources.” Egypt’s current diversification strategy converges with Russian interests and is supported by that country’s -language media outlets, which are increasingly influential in Egypt: RT and Sputnik have both inked deals for the website of Egypt’s al-Ahram to carry their content, and RT Arabic is one of Egypt’s most-watched news channels. The Egyptian government has many challenges in years to come. Domestically, a youth bulge is entering the labor market and rising sea levels will eventually flood parts of the Nile Delta. Internationally, the scramble for Mediterranean gas deposits and negotiations on Nile River waters have turned and Ethiopia into Egypt’s bogeymen du jour. If Russia can continue presenting itself as a country that shares and understands the Egyptian perspective on these and other sensitive national security topics, we should expect Egypt-Russia ties to blossom even further. (Also see “Egypt and Russia Deepening Military Cooperation,” OE Watch, October 2019) End OE Watch Commentary (Winter)

“All the Egyptian people stand behind their political leaders in diversifying weapons sources…”

Source: “Putin may visit Egypt in 2020, envoy says,” TASS, 18 November 2019. https://tass.com/politics/1089869

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Egypt is scheduled for 2020, Presidential Envoy for the and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov told TASS on Monday, adding that preparations for the visit were underway. “We are in contact with our Egyptian friends in regard to preparations for our president’s visit because [Moscow and Cairo] actually agreed to hold summits every year, in fact, twice a year, in Russia and Egypt. I think a meeting will take place in Egypt next year. The visit will mark important developments in our strategic partnership with Egypt,” Bogdanov pointed out.

رد ناري من الربملان عىل الترصيحات األمريكية بشأن صفقات األسلحة :Source “Fiery Response from Parliamentarian to American Declarations on Weapons Deals,” el-Fagr, 26 November 2019. https://www.elfagr.com/3791024

Major General Yahya El-Kadwani, a member of the Defense Committee in the House of Representatives, said that Egypt has followed a path of diversified weapons sources for tens of years, and has German submarines and French Raffales. El-Kadwani added during the program “The Story” broadcast on MBC Egypt, on Monday evening, that Egypt is a sovereign country with its own interests, as well as a strategic ally of the United States of America… He added that all the Egyptian people stand behind their political leaders in diversifying weapons sources.

OE Watch | January 2020 44