Gen. El-Sisi ushers in “a new era in Egyptian-Russian military ties”

Egypt’s defense minister Gen. Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi had warm words for Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on their first visit to Cairo. As DEBKAfile reported earlier,  Russia has offered to establish an advanced air and missile defense system and surface missile batteries as part of a major arms transaction with Cairo. Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmi, asked whether Russia would replace the US as his country’s chief ally, replied: “Russia’s weight is too heavy to be a substitute for anyone.”