Russia Now Busy Courting Egypt

By Henry Srebrnik, [Charlottetown, PEI] Guardian 

Already the major foreign power in Syria, Russia is now trying to extend its role in the Middle by courting Egypt.

Vladimir Putin on Dec. 11 travelled to Cairo for a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, resulting in the signing of contracts for the construction of the Dabaa nuclear plant in northern Egypt. 

The construction of Egypt’s first nuclear power plant, under a $30 billion contract, will be undertaken by Russia’s Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation. The Russian government has offered a $25 billion loan for the project, and Russia will supply the fuel for the plant. 

Annual trade between Russia and Egypt stands at $4 billion and Cairo is very interested in attracting new Russian investments. Putin and Sisi even discussed creating an industrial zone in Egypt with “favorable conditions for the Russian businesses.” They also spoke about trying to revive tourism, hard hit by terrorism.

Military issues were also on the table. Putin’s visit followed the Nov. 30 signing of a draft agreement, valid for five years, allowing the military aircraft of the two countries to share airspace and air bases.

Russia and Egypt also would be able to carry out joint terrorism measures in the Sinai Peninsula, where terrorist operations have been on the rise. An attack on the Al-Rawda Mosque on Nov. 24 murdered 311 worshippers.

Helping Cairo battle terrorists in Sinai, where Cairo has appeared helpless against attacks by militants, may become a pillar of Russian-Egyptian security cooperation.

Nurhan al-Sheikh, a professor of political science at Cairo University, told the Al-Monitor news agency that “It is in Egypt's best interest to cooperate with Russia when it comes to countering terrorism, especially after Russia’s unprecedented success in liberating all Syrian territories from ISIS.”

Putin also stated Moscow's readiness to resume Russian flights over Egypt; all flights had been suspended after a Russian aircraft was downed in the Sinai on Oct. 31, 2015, killing more than 200 people. 

“Egypt has done a great job in making airport security more effective,” Putin remarked. “Russian security services reported that on the whole we are ready to restore such connection between Moscow and Cairo.”

This Egyptian-Russian military rapprochement may also see Russia provide Egypt with the S-400 surface-to-air missile system. Moscow will also soon supply Egypt with MiG-29 fighter jets and has won a tender to sell Egypt Ka-52 helicopters for French-built Mistral ships.

Bases in Egypt would also be useful for Moscow in pursuing its goals in neighbouring Libya. In that chaotic post-Gadhafi country, riven by ongoing battles between rival Islamist and nationalist militias, Russia supports the Libyan National Army forces led by General Khalifa Haftar. 

Russia particularly covets the Sidi Barrani base, which is a mere 100 kilometes from Libya. Haftar is based in Tobruk, near the Egyptian border. 

Haftar met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last August and naval forces conducted maneuvres near the Libyan coast.

This suits Egypt, whose chosen partner in securing its porous western flank is General Hafter.

From Sisi’s perspective, Moscow might be useful in helping solve Egypt’s challenges in the Sinai and in Libya; both are lawless regions that harbour terrorists intent on destabilizing Egypt.

At the United Nations, Egypt has made common cause with Russia to oppose the United States on various issues. Both voted against the American decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

For Russia, this may be a first step towards a resumption of the old Egyptian-Soviet alliance, which lasted for some 25 years during the Cold War and was a centrepiece of Moscow’s foreign policy in the Middle East.

For Egypt, it involves formulating a new foreign policy that includes a nationalistic reassertion of Egypt’s freedom of maneuvre within the region.