UK – Egypt military partnership deepens with Defence Senior Advisor to the Middle East visit

Ashraf Aboarafe

18 July – UK’s Defence Senior Advisor to the Middle East and North Africa (DSAME) Lieutenant General John Lorimer visits Egypt as part of the growing strategic military partnership between both countries.

During his visit, Lieutenant General Lorimer met with his Egyptian counterparts: Vice Admiral Ahmed Khaled Hassan Saeed, Commander of Egyptian Naval Forces; Major General Tarek Saad Zaghloul, Head of Egyptian Armed Forces Armament Authority; Major General Nasser Mohammed Ibrahim El-Assi, Head of Egyptian Armed Forces Training Authority; and Major General Mohamed Farag El Shahat, Director of Military Intelligence and Reconnaissance, in order to discuss shared challenges and threats, and the UK’s commitment to security in the region.

Military cooperation between Egypt and the UK has increased significantly in recent years as the UK and Egypt work to deepen their cooperation in the face of the shared threat of terrorism. DSAME’s visit follows a successful joint military exercise carried out last week during the visit of HMS Argyll of the British Royal Navy.

Lieutenant General Lorimer said: “Egypt is a country of vital strategic importance in the region and keeping Egypt safe means keeping Britain safe. We know how important it is that we stand together in the face of shared threats to our security, and my visit this week is an important opportunity to explore further defence collaboration.”

British Ambassador to Egypt John Casson said: “We know that only by working together can UK and Egypt face the shared threat of terrorism.  Egypt’s security is our security and we will not leave Egypt to stand alone against terrorism. With a recent successful exercise, and now a high-ranking visit, we open a new chapter in our defence cooperation, and a new chapter in improving the security and stability of Egypt, the UK and the Middle East Region.”

Further Information:

Lieutenant General Lorimer is responsible for the UK’s defence ties to the Middle East.  He was appointed to this position in January this year, and this is his second visit to Egypt since that time.  He is no stranger to Egypt, having lived in Cairo to study Arabic when he was a student at Cambridge University.