CAIRO — Egypt’s military has confirmed it ordered 30
Rafale jets from French defense firm
Dassault Aviation, putting the country in
debt for decades.
اضافة اعلان
The order, which follows the 2015 purchase of 24 Rafale
jets, the first sold to a foreign country, will be financed through a 10-year
loan, the military said in a statement late Monday.
Investigative site Disclose had reported that the order
concluded on April 26 was part of a secret defense mega-deal, including
missiles, and electronics, worth almost four billion euros.
French defense ministry sources confirmed the contract was
worth “in the order of” that figure and included weapons and training.
Egypt is to take out loans from French banks, guaranteed by
the state in France, the French finance ministry said.
Disclose said the guarantees would reach the level of “85
percent”.
Eighteen single-seat models of the Rafale and 12
twin-seaters are to be delivered between 2024 and 2026, according to the French
defense ministry.
Egypt is the world’s third-biggest arms importer after Saudi
Arabia and India, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research
Institute.
Its arms purchases grew by 136 percent over the past decade
and it has diversified its sourcing beyond the United States, buying military
equipment from France, Germany, and Russia, the institute said in a report
released earlier this year.
Egypt’s foreign debt amounts to $125.3 billion, or 33
percent of GDP, figures from its central bank show.
The country has a more than 1,000-strong air force fleet, 28
percent of them fighter planes, according to the
Global Firepower site.
Egypt has stepped up arms purchases since army chief Abdel
Fattah Al-Sisi took over as president in 2014.
The new Rafale deal “reinforces the strategic and military
partnership between France and Egypt”, French Defense Minister Florence Parly
said Tuesday.
“This contract illustrates the strategic nature of the
partnership ... while our two countries are resolutely committed to the fight
against terrorism and are working for stability in their regional environment.”
For Rafale, the latest sale adds to the export of 36 planes
each to Qatar and India, and 18 sold to Greece in January.
Egypt, neighboring war-torn Libya, has long positioned
itself as a bulwark of stability in the region.
The country has repeatedly denied charges by rights groups
that its armaments are used to repress civil opposition.
Sisi and French counterpart Emmanuel Macron enjoy a close
relationship built on mutual security interests.
At a joint press conference in Paris in December, Macron
said: “I will not condition defense and economic cooperation matters on these
disagreements (over human rights).”
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