Armed Forces announces intended military cooperation with UAE

After Field Marshall Abdel Fattah al-Sisi arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday for an official visit, Armed Forces spokesperson Ahmed Mohamed Ali told London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that Egypt is looking to expand its military collaboration with the Emirates.

Amid speculation that Sisi will announce his bid for the presidency imminently, Ali affirmed that his visit to the UAE is strictly military related.

The military spokesperson announced on his official Facebook page that Sisi would witness a joint military exercise between Emirati and Egyptian troops who have been training and exchanging military experience over the last few months.

The Emirates, in addition to other Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, has supported the position of the current Egyptian government and provided it with several forms of aid since the removal of former President Mohamed Morsi in July. This was met with a backlash from several Western nations who rejected the military-backed overthrow of an elected president.

Sisi announced on Sunday that Egypt would also build one million housing units for the underprivileged within the next five years in cooperation with Emirati construction company Arabtec.

Egypt had been expanding its military alliances since the United States, its main provider of weapons, imposed punitive measures following the removal of Morsi.

Considering the former president’s removal as a military coup, the US suspended part of its military aid to Egypt last October.

Sisi and his Russian counterpart also exchanged several visits over the last few months to finalize an arms deal worth two billion dollars.