Latest NEWS
A Rafale jet fighter is seen on the assembly line in the factory of French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation in Merignac near Bordeaux, southwestern France, January 10, 2014. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
CAIRO (Reuters) - The French government loaned Egypt 3.2 billion euros to finance the recent multi billion-euro purchase of French military equipment, Egypt's president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in an interview on al-Arabiya TV on Saturday.
Egypt signed an agreement this month to buy 5.2 billion euros worth of French weapons, including 24 Rafale combat jets made by Dassault Aviation, a multi-mission naval frigate, and air-to-air missiles.
"The last equipment we got from France was with a French loan worth 3.2 billion euros and this loan was extended from the French government," President Abdel Fatatah al-Sisi said in the interview.
France said at the time the deal was agreed to that more than half the purchase price would be financed by French banks with a state-backed Coface guarantee.
(Reporting By Shadi Bushra and Ali Abdelatti; Editing by Yara Bayoumy and Steve Orlofsky)