Egypt hosts international arms expo
CAIRO: Egypt opened its first international weapons fair on Monday, an
event that organizers hope will project a message to the world that the
country is secure and stable.
The three-day Egypt Defence Expo features the world's top arms companies
and hundreds of military and civilian participants from dozens of
countries.
The United States, Egypt's largest arms supplier, had over 40 companies
present, alongside major firms from Britain, France and Germany, as well
as Russia, China, India and Gulf monarchies.
"We are seeing a shift in paradigm away from some of the heavy machinery
that characterize our assistance in past years toward a more nimble
kind of approach to countering terrorism," US Embassy Deputy Chief of
Mission Dorothy Shea said.
"We are trying to share our hard-won lessons from the battlefield and
help our Egyptian colleagues take advantage of that and make sure that
their acquisitions of equipment are appropriate and really benefit them
to the maximum."
Organizers have not specified sales targets or expectations, but say
agreements will be signed and announced at the fair, held in a massive
expo center where marching bands and thousands of pieces of military
equipment were on display.
Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, who opened the event, led the
2013 military overthrow of an elected but divisive Islamist president.
Egypt is currently battling a Daesh-led insurgency in the Sinai
Peninsula, and many of its vehicles and hardware on display have been
battle tested there.
"Defense and armament are a pillar of peace," Defense Minister Gen.
Mohammed Zaki said in opening remarks. "Peace must be protected by power
that secures."
An upbeat video shown to participants at the opening ceremony
highlighted the army's leading role in Egyptian society, blending scenes
of Red Sea tourism and pharaonic temples with troops and equipment on
the move. Zaki said the military only acquires power to protect and
guarantee the country's safety and unity.
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