Return in Force to the M.E. by Russia

[man]

The first article is from Israel, the following two articles after that are from Russia

 

Lavrov to confirm Russian air defense system, surface missiles for Egypt, Russian Navy facilities at Alexandria
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report November 12, 2013
Debka.com

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu start a two-day visit to Cairo Wednesday, Nov. 13, to wind up a major sale of advanced Russian weaponry for the Egyptian army and the Russian Navy’s access to port facilities on the Mediterranean.

debkafile’s military sources, which first revealed the coming transactions in the last week of October, now amplify that report by disclosing that Moscow has agreed to equip Egypt with a sophisticated combined double-layered system which covers both its defensive and offensive requirements.

 

1. The first layer will provide a shield against attack by stealth aircraft, drones and cruise missiles for all of Egypt’s airspace, including the Suez Canal, the Red Sea and its coastal waters, up to the central Mediterranean. Our military sources add that part of the system will be positioned in eastern Egypt for the protection of key Saudi cities as well.

2. The second layer will be built around sophisticated surface missiles with ranges that cover all points in the Middle East including Iran. Moscow and Cairo are keeping the types of missiles secret.

Saudi Arabia is putting up the estimated $4 billion to pay for the transaction.

 

The Russian delegation will include the first deputy director of the Federal Service on Military-Technical Cooperation, Andrei Boitsov, and officials from state-arms exporter Rosoboronexport.

Egyptian officials continued Tuesday to deny reports that a Russian naval base would be established in an Egyptian port as “illogical,” saying it would “undermine the country’s independence and sovereignty.”

However, according to our sources, planning is already underway for the deployment of some 1,500 Russian military personnel in Egypt to have the new missiles up and running and local personnel trained in their use by mid-2014. A similar number of Russian naval and marine servicemen have been assigned to setting up the naval base, most probably in Alexandria.

 

We have learned that the visiting Russian ministers and Egypt’s rulers will also discuss permission for Russian warships to dock in Egypt’s Red Sea waters opposite the Saudi coast.

Several thousand Russian military personnel will therefore soon be deployed in Egypt, 42 years after the entire body of Russian “military advisers” was expelled from the country by President Anwar Sadat.

The visit to Egypt by Lavrov and Gen. Shoigu was heralded at the port of Alexandria by the arrival of the Soviet Pacific Fleet flagship, the guided missile cruiser Varyag. Egyptian Navy commanders greeted the ship with unusual honor, including a gun salute. Varyag will remain in the Egyptian port for the duration of the Russian ministers’ stay.

When US Secretary of State John Kerry visited Cairo on Nov. 3, he tried to induce Defense Minister Gen. Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to call off the arms deal with Russia by offering to restore in full the $1.3 billion US military aid package which the Obama administration left hanging after the coup which deposed Mohamed Morsi as president in July.

 

Gen. El-Sisi replied that Cairo does not intend severing its military ties with Washington and would prefer to continue to receive American airplanes and tanks, but will also be glad to take delivery of advanced Russian weapons which the US has withheld from Egypt.

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Russia Offers Egypt Helicopters, Air Defense Systems
http://en.ria.ru/military_news/20131115/184738028/Russia-Offers-Egypt-Helicopters-Air-Defense-Systems.html

MOSCOW, November 15, 2013 (RIA Novosti) – Russia is offering Egypt combat helicopters and air defense systems, as well as repairs and overhauls of military hardware previously supplied to the troubled Middle Eastern nation.

The two countries agreed Thursday to start drafting documents to lay the foundation for close cooperation in the defense sector, paving the way for future purchases and licensed production of Russian-made weapons in Egypt.

“We are offering Egypt modern helicopters, air defense systems, repairs and modernization services for previously acquired military equipment,” said Mikhail Zavaly, the head of Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport's delegation at the upcoming Dubai Air Show 2013.

Rumors about Egypt turning to Russia for military assistance to meet its security needs after the partial suspension of military aid and equipment deliveries from the United States have been circulating in the media since early November.

Reports had indicated that Egypt, which has not made large-scale purchases of Russian weapons for four decades, may be seeking ways to buy around $4 billion of advanced weaponry, including MiG-29 fighter jets, from Russia.

Egypt purchased a variety of Soviet-made military equipment, including tanks, armored personnel carriers and fighter jets, when Moscow and Cairo enjoyed close ties during the 1960s and early 1970s.

According to Flightglobal aviation news website’s World Air Forces 2013 report, the Egyptian air force has some 58 MiG-21 fighter jets and 93 Mi-8/17 helicopters.

Most of these aircraft are in need of repairs and overhaul.
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Russia, Egypt Vow to Boost Military Ties
http://en.ria.ru/world/20131114/184716097/Russia-Egypt-Vow-to-Boost-Military-Ties.html

CAIRO, November 14, 2013 (RIA Novosti) – Russia and Egypt agreed Thursday to start drafting documents to lay the foundation for close cooperation in the defense sector, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.

Shoigu and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are on a landmark visit to the strategically important North African country to boost bilateral relations, including military ties, which have been in limbo for several decades.

“We agreed today to take steps toward creating a legal basis for our agreements [on military collaboration],” Shoigu said after a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo.

According to Shoigu, the sides agreed to set up a working group for drafting a general agreement on all areas of bilateral military cooperation, as well as to hold a series of anti-terrorism and anti-piracy exercises.

Shoigu said earlier in the day that Russia was seriously inclined to developing close military relations with Egypt and intensifying bilateral contacts.

The Soviet Union and Egypt enjoyed close ties during the 1960s and early 1970s, when the Arab country was led by Abdel Nasser. But within years after the death of Nasser, the new president Anwar Sadat started reorienting the country toward the West and expelled about 20,000 Russian military advisers in July 1972.

Bilateral relations have since never warmed up to the previous friendship level.

For Moscow, the renewal of military ties with Egypt could signify a return in force to the Middle East while US diplomacy is failing all over the region.

Rumors about Egypt turning toward Russia for military assistance to meet its security needs, following the partial suspension of military aid and equipment deliveries from the United States, have been circulating in the media since the beginning of November.

The current visit has been preempted by a bout of shuttle diplomacy between Moscow and Cairo with exchanges of unofficial visits and behind-closed-doors discussions in the past few weeks.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy confirmed in an interview this week with the Russia’s state-run English-language television channel, RT, that the Egyptian government was considering buying Russian weaponry.