President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi met Thursday in Cairo with Marillyn Hewson, CEO of Lockheed Martin, which manufactures F-16 fighter aircrafts.
Sisi welcomed Hewson and the accompanying delegation and hailed the company’s efforts to supply Egypt with the F-16 warplanes “necessary to enhance the country’s security and stability in light of the current regional challenges,” presidential spokesperson Alaa Youssef said in a statement Thursday.
During the meeting, Hewson stressed the importance of Egypt’s role in strengthening the stability and security in the Middle East region, as well as its “leading role in the international coalition against terrorism,” according to the statement.
On Oct. 29, Egypt received four F-16 fighter jets; the last batch of a $3.2 billion military deal that Egypt signed with the U.S. in 2009. Egypt received eight of the fighter jets in 2013, months before American military aid was suspended following the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.
