India And Egypt Bolster Maritime Ties During Inaugural Navy Staff Talks

(MENAFN- IANS) Cairo, April 24, (IANS) The inaugural Navy-to-Navy Staff Talks (NNST) between the Indian and the Egyptian Navy were held in Cairo on the sidelines of the 11th India-Egypt Joint Defence Committee (JDC) meeting, the Ministry of Defence stated on Friday.

Describing the talks as a "milestone in maritime cooperation”, the Indian Embassy in Egypt stated that the two nations held discussions focused on operational coordination, joint training, maritime domain awareness, and avenues for collaboration in naval technologies and shipbuilding.

With maritime cooperation remaining a key pillar of India–Egypt defence ties, this meeting marks a significant step forward in strengthening bilateral naval ties between India and Egypt, the Indian Embassy stated.

During the JDC meeting in Cairo earlier this week, both countries had held productive discussions towards enhancing bilateral defence cooperation. The Indian delegation was led by Joint Secretary (International Cooperation) Amitabh Prasad and included senior representatives from the Ministry of Defence and the defence forces. The Egyptian delegation was headed by senior officials of the defence forces and the Ministry of Defence.

Both sides undertook a comprehensive review of the progress made since the previous JDC meeting and charted out a forward-looking roadmap for defence engagement. They agreed on a bilateral defence cooperation plan 2026-27, focusing on expanding Structured Military interaction mechanisms, strengthening Joint training exchanges, enhancing maritime security cooperation, increasing the scope and complexity of military exercises and promoting collaboration in defence production and technology.

The Indian delegation made a presentation on fast-growing manufacturing capabilities of the Indian defence Industry, highlighting the fact that its production has crossed US $20 billion and India is exporting products valued at around US $4 billion to over 100 countries. The two sides agreed to work together to develop a defence industry cooperation plan. The defence industry collaboration is emerging as a key pillar of India-Egypt defence ties, with both sides exploring opportunities for co-development and co-production in the field of defence manufacturing, the Ministry of Defence highlighted.

–IANS

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