Egypt army's chief of staff Mahmoud Hegazi left for the UK on Tuesday for talks with British army leaders on bolstering Egyptian-British military cooperation, according to a statement by the Egyptian Armed Forces. Army spokesman Tamer El-Refai said that Hegazi will meet with British officials to talk about coordinating efforts to face challenges facing the security and stability of the MENA region, as well as broader aspects of military cooperation between the two countries. Hegazi last visited the UK in September 2015. In October, Egypt and the United Kingdom concluded a joint naval exercise in Alexandria as part of the two countries' wider defence partnership. The exercise came following a September visit by UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, during which the two countries decided to pursue deeper military cooperation. The UK has stressed multiple times that it is "committed to supporting a more secure, prosperous and democratic Egypt," affirming its commitment to working with Egypt in tackling "shared challenges" such as terrorism.
