“President of the Republic spoke with President Sisi”.
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Hollande’s office said on September 23 that the two countries have “agreed on the principle and the terms” of the sale of the warships.
Each Mistral helicopter carrier is capable of transporting up to 16 helicopter gunships, 700 troops and 50 armored vehicles.
However France found itself in an awkward situation as the date of delivery neared in 2014, and ties between Russian Federation and the West plunged to Cold War lows over Moscow’s annexation of Crimea and support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.
On August. 5, both the French and Russian presidencies issued statements confirming a settlement deal, by which France would reimburse Russia with €949.7 million to conclude the matter.
The deal was agreed between former French president Nicholas Sarkozy and his counterpart Vladimir Putin in 2011, and construction began soon afterwards.
About 10 countries were reported to have expressed interest in buying the state-of-the-art warships. However, this week’s announcement did not specify how much Egypt agreed to pay, but claimed it was not losing money on the deal.
Peter Roberts, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute and a former Royal Navy officer, said Egypt’s military is shifting its focus, previously focused on the Sinai, to a more regional outlook.
Egypt’s purchase of military equipment and weaponry has been a matter of concern in recent years.
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It also acquired a French frigate as part of a 5.2 billion euro contract for 24 Rafale warplanes earlier this year, France’s first overseas export of the fighter jet. He noted French military cooperation with Egypt and Egypt’s “important role” in the Middle East.
