Egyptian General Denies Interest of Egypt, Saudi Arabia in Mistral Warships
Egyptian General Denies Interest of Egypt, Saudi Arabia in Mistral Warships
Sputnik International
Neither Egypt or Saudi Arabia can make use of a French Mistral-class helicopter carrier, as they are designed for long-distance military operations, Mahmoud... 07.08.2015, Sputnik International
Neither Egypt or Saudi Arabia can make use of a French Mistral-class helicopter carrier, as they are designed for long-distance military operations, Mahmoud Khalaf, an adviser at the Egyptian Nasser Military Academy, said Friday.
CAIRO (Sputnik) – Earlier on Friday, the French Le Monde newspaper said that Saudi Arabia and Egypt were interested in buying the two Mistral ships that France built for Russia under a now-terminated contract.
"It is very hard to imagine that Egypt would conduct military operations in areas where helicopter carriers would be needed. Arab countries are located on the shores of the Red and the Mediterranean seas, that’s why Egypt and Saudi Arabia do not need such ships,” Khalaf told RIA Novosti.
He added that military equipment was usually purchased dependent on potential use.
On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Francois Hollande terminated the 2011 contract on construction and delivery of Mistral-class helicopter carriers to Moscow.
Paris suspended the delivery of the first ship in 2014, citing Moscow's alleged participation in the Ukrainian conflict as the reason behind the move.
The Sevastopol mistral warship is on its way for its first sea trials, on March 16, 2015 off Saint-Nazaire. French President Francois Hollande said last February conditions were "still not right" to go ahead with the sale of two Mistral warships to Russia despite Moscow having backed a new Ukraine peace plan. Hollande suspended the 1.2 billion euros ($1.5 billion) sale last year as the Ukraine crisis deepened, fearing it would boost Russia's military capabilities and put Paris in hot water with its allies. AFP PHOTO GEORGES GOBET
Assault landing craft mock-up at the ceremony of opening the ARMY-2015 international forum in the military park Patriot, in the town of Kubinka, Moscow Region, June 16, 2015.
The Sevastopol mistral warship is on its way for its first sea trials, on March 16, 2015 off Saint-Nazaire. French President Francois Hollande said last February conditions were "still not right" to go ahead with the sale of two Mistral warships to Russia despite Moscow having backed a new Ukraine peace plan. Hollande suspended the 1.2 billion euros ($1.5 billion) sale last year as the Ukraine crisis deepened, fearing it would boost Russia's military capabilities and put Paris in hot water with its allies. AFP PHOTO GEORGES GOBET
Assault landing craft mock-up at the ceremony of opening the ARMY-2015 international forum in the military park Patriot, in the town of Kubinka, Moscow Region, June 16, 2015.
The Sevastopol mistral warship is on its way for its first sea trials, on March 16, 2015 off Saint-Nazaire
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