Ever since 1973, no Egyptian minister of defence has set foot in Moscow and relations between Egypt and Russia in the military field have been almost absent. So when Field Marshal Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi arrived in Moscow 11 February accompanied by the minister of foreign affairs, we saw history in the making and witnessed a great window of opportunity being opened for both Egypt and Russia under President Vladimir Putin. From 1955 to 1979, the Egyptian army had been equipped with Soviet armaments and the training of its officers was at the hands of Soviet experts. As a matter of fact, many generations of the officer corps went to Russia to study at various Soviet military academies. We fought our wars and defended our territories thanks to the generous Soviet help. Needless to say, the victory we achieved by storming the Suez Canal as well as the Bar-Lev Line on 6 October 1973 would have been impossible without Soviet weaponry and military experts who had come to Egypt after the June War of 1967 to help Egypt rebuild and reorganise its armed forces. For many young Egyptians from 1967 to 1973, and I am proud to be one of them, Soviet weapons made it possible for us to fight the Israelis and storm Israeli defences along the banks of the Suez Canal from the north to south. Egypt will always be grateful for the help and assistance of Moscow in the 1950s, the 1960s and the 1970s. The visit of Field Marshal Al-Sisi to Moscow is a turning point in Egyptian-Russian relations and in Middle Eastern politics. It is being said that the Americans succeeded in encouraging former president Anwar Al-Sadat to push the Soviets not only out of Egypt, but also from the Middle East and the Arab world altogether. The irony of history, and I would say its revenge, is that Moscow could re-enter the Middle East and Egypt through Cairo. We welcome this strategic shift that the visit and the talks of Al-Sisi in Moscow have made possible. According to press reports in Moscow in the wake of the talks between the Egyptian and Russian delegations, the two parties initialled an arms deal that is valued around $3 billion, including fighter planes, the well-known Mig29, and advanced air defence systems. When signed and the Russian weapon systems delivered, the capabilities of the Egyptian army will be greatly enhanced. What is more important is the fact that Egyptian officers will go to Russia to get training in Russian military academies, and Russian officers and experts will start coming back to Egypt once again. When this happens, the souls of our martyrs and all those brave Egyptians who gave up their lives to defend a free and an independent Egypt throughout the last two centuries will finally rest in peace. And we who fought the Israelis with Soviet arms will feel vindicated and that our sacrifices are finally rewarded when we wake up one day and breathe the air of freedom from American monopoly, of being the only source of our major weapon systems, for the last four decades. This is the true meaning of the visit of Al-Sisi to Moscow; that Egypt is on the road of regaining its free will, for which our grandfathers and fathers had fought throughout the 20th century. We followed in their footsteps from 1967 to 1973 only to see Egypt, for 40 years, completely dependent on Washington. Now we are about to see deep changes in the rules of the game. And maybe this meaning was inherent in the words of President Putin when receiving Al-Sisi at the Kremlin on 13 February: “I know that you, Mr Defence Minister, have decided to run for president of Egypt. I wish you luck both from myself personally and from the Russian people.” These words sum up the strategic significance of the visit of Al-Sisi to Moscow, days or weeks before he announces his presidential bid. President Putin by receiving the Egyptian defence minister at the Kremlin and endorsing, in the meantime, his presidential ambitions, has signalled Russia's willingness to cooperate with and support Egypt under the presidency of Al-Sisi. This will insulate Egypt from any Western or regional pressures in the years to come in case Al-Sisi is elected president. The American reaction to the position taken by President Putin was not slow in coming. Less than 12 hours after receiving the Egyptian defence minister in Moscow, the deputy spokeswoman of the US State Department said: “ … of course we don't endorse a candidate and I don't think it is, quite frankly, up to the United States or to Mr Putin to decide who should govern Egypt. It is up to the Egyptian people to decide.” But President Putin has not decided who will be the next president of Egypt. He only supported a probable presidential bid by Field Marshal Al-Sisi. What the Americans have failed to see, so far, is that they made a colossal mistake by imposing an arms embargo on the Egyptian army. Such a decision on their part will cost them dearly in the years to come. Neither the Egyptians — save those who work closely with them, to put it nicely — nor the army will ever forgive or forget. The visit of Field Marshal Al-Sisi to Moscow this month was a direct response, and a swift one at that, to that hasty decision on the part of the US administration. The arms embargo set a precedent that is unacceptable and will prove counterproductive to American interests in the Middle East. No army commander will ever accept to put the Egyptian army under such a threat. One American reaction to the visit went as far as saying that the visit goes against the clock. Nothing could be farther from the truth. By setting the stage for closer relations with Russia in all fields, and particularly in military procurement and military technology, Field Marshal Al-Sisi has reset the clock right — a clock that moved in the wrong direction for almost 40 years. May be the Republicans during the mid-term elections coming up in autumn in the US will campaign primarily on the theme of who lost Egypt on the American side. It would be interesting to follow the debate that will ensue along the Potomac. May be this debate will conclude with a consensus between the Republicans and Democrats that they must never take the Egyptian people for granted. I am sure that if president Anwar Al-Sadat would come to life today he would wholeheartedly lend his unwavering support to Field Marshal Al-Sisi and his visit to the Kremlin. Similarly, it will be interesting to scrutinise what will come out of the Obama visit to Saudi Arabia next month. Let us hope that his administration will not try to drive a wedge between Saudi Arabia and Egypt. We have full confidence in the Saudi government that has generously supported Egypt after June 30. The writer is former assistant to the foreign minister.
