A huge military base was opened in Egypt on Saturday, amid continued financial pressures for the country as Cairo cuts government spending in other areas.
The Mohammed Naguib Military Base is located close to the port city of Alexandria and the opening ceremony was attended by leading figures in the Arab world.
It includes more than 1,100 buildings, 72 training fields, two residential complexes and a huge convention centre making it in the largest military base in the Middle East and Africa.
The ceremony was attended by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayyed and Libya warlord Khalifa Haftar.
It featured bare-chested soldiers lifting weights on a moving float. Other troops showed off their prowess with synchronised sit-up performances on moving trucks to a visibly proud Sisi.
President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi - a former general - said the military complex was vital to defeating "terrorism" and will protect a vast area of Egypt that has been shook by militancy.
"Egypt will remain a peace-loving nation and will never kowtow to terrorist threats and those behind them," Sisi told the crowd, making repeated thinly disguised swipes at Qatar who Cairo accuses of sponsoring militants.
"Terrorism, however, will be a catalyst for exerting more efforts at all levels."
The base is named after Egypt's first President Mohammed Naguib ousted after a brief period as head by Gamal Abdel Nasser.
It comes as Cairo continues to struggle to keep the finances stable with the economy nosediving after Sisi's 2013 overthrow of Egypt's first democratically elected government headed by Mohamad Morsi.
Egypt is looking at a IMF bailout to fund projects in the country but it has been the country's poorest who have paid the heaviest cost for austerity measures rolled out by Cairo to help curb government spending.
Prices have rocketed on basic commodities - from bread, to petrol, to metro tickets - as Egypt looks at cutting subsidies which have provided a safety net for the country's poorest.
Egypt's devalued currency has also made imported items such as cars considerably more expensive.
Although the budget for the armed forces is a closely kept secret, military spending for the developing country is likely to be huge.
Egypt's intervention in neighbouring Libya, the purchase of fighter jets, and the ongoing battle against a bloody insurgency in the Sinai will likely keep costs high.
Source: https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/blog/ ... iddle-east
Sisi opens biggest military base in Middle East and Africa
Moderators: DJKeefy, 4u Network
- DJKeefy
- Site Administrator
- Posts: 11025
- Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2005 4:08 pm
- Location: UK
- Has thanked: 654 times
- Been thanked: 1222 times
- Gender:
- Contact:
-
- Egyptian God
- Posts: 8695
- Joined: Thu Oct 17, 2013 11:49 am
- Has thanked: 1548 times
- Been thanked: 5127 times
- Contact:
Re: Sisi opens biggest military base in Middle East and Afri
Needless to say, alaraby is one of the news sites blocked in Egypt
What Egypt spends on its military , and how much the various parts of the military are involved in contributing (through their business empire) to GDP, remain a closely guarded secret. What effect the new base, let alone military spending generally, has on the economy as a whole is impossible to quantify.
The first part of the article is repeated throughout the news here. The latter part - the critique - isn't.
Lots of oiled muscles and gymnastics on display. If the next Middle East conflict is settled by arm-wrestling....my money's on Egypt !
What Egypt spends on its military , and how much the various parts of the military are involved in contributing (through their business empire) to GDP, remain a closely guarded secret. What effect the new base, let alone military spending generally, has on the economy as a whole is impossible to quantify.
The first part of the article is repeated throughout the news here. The latter part - the critique - isn't.
Lots of oiled muscles and gymnastics on display. If the next Middle East conflict is settled by arm-wrestling....my money's on Egypt !
- DJKeefy
- Site Administrator
- Posts: 11025
- Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2005 4:08 pm
- Location: UK
- Has thanked: 654 times
- Been thanked: 1222 times
- Gender:
- Contact:
Re: Sisi opens biggest military base in Middle East and Afri
One Egyptian army display I watched years ago showed what they called the elite biting the head of live chickens and eating them
What did that prove
What did that prove
- carrie
- Egyptian Pharaoh
- Posts: 4910
- Joined: Mon Mar 14, 2005 10:46 am
- Location: luxor
- Has thanked: 1860 times
- Been thanked: 2885 times
- Contact:
Re: Sisi opens biggest military base in Middle East and Afri
During Mubarak's reign there used to be loads of military demonstrations on TV. Soldiers marching here and there displays by small boats with a proud President watching approvingly. Haven't seen any for ages.
-
- Egyptian God
- Posts: 8695
- Joined: Thu Oct 17, 2013 11:49 am
- Has thanked: 1548 times
- Been thanked: 5127 times
- Contact:
Re: Sisi opens biggest military base in Middle East and Afri
Fascinating!DJKeefy wrote:One Egyptian army display I watched years ago showed what they called the elite biting the head of live chickens and eating them
What did that prove
Makes Trooping the Colour look very.....boring
Was it the heads they ate....or the whole chicken?
Egypt does like to show its military might......even in relatively innocuous situations :
Naval forces rescued a tourist boat from drowning off the coast of Hurghada, the military spokesperson announced on Sunday.
The Navy received a mayday call from a boat called ‘Freedom’ before it began sinking off the coast of Hurghada city, at a distance of 4 nautical miles, amid very difficult weather conditions, the military spokesman added.
A naval unit headed to the boat and evacuated 10 people who were on board including three crew members. The boat was pulled by the naval unit to the Hurghada port and assistance was provided to the rescued, according to the statement.
http://www.egyptindependent.com/navy-re ... ada-coast/
- DJKeefy
- Site Administrator
- Posts: 11025
- Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2005 4:08 pm
- Location: UK
- Has thanked: 654 times
- Been thanked: 1222 times
- Gender:
- Contact:
Re: Sisi opens biggest military base in Middle East and Afri
The whole chicken videos are available somewhere on youtube I doubt you want to see them
-
- Egyptian God
- Posts: 8695
- Joined: Thu Oct 17, 2013 11:49 am
- Has thanked: 1548 times
- Been thanked: 5127 times
- Contact:
Re: Sisi opens biggest military base in Middle East and Afri
I found it.DJKeefy wrote:The whole chicken videos are available somewhere on youtube I doubt you want to see them
Pretty disgusting....especially with the headless chicken still flapping around as it was eaten
- Dusak
- Egyptian Pharaoh
- Posts: 6190
- Joined: Sun May 11, 2008 2:29 pm
- Location: LUXOR
- Has thanked: 3241 times
- Been thanked: 3812 times
- Gender:
Re: Sisi opens biggest military base in Middle East and Afri
At least they got one square meal each that day although a tad of a feather brained decision.
Life is your's to do with as you wish- do not let other's try to control it for you. Count Dusak- 1345.
- Major Thom
- Royal V.I.P
- Posts: 2885
- Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2015 5:45 am
- Has thanked: 189 times
- Been thanked: 375 times
- Gender:
- Contact:
Re: Sisi opens biggest military base in Middle East and Afri
I was always led to believe this was a Government for the people. Maybe the heads of the chickens were distributed among the poverty stricken people of Egypt so it made things better. Looks like Robert Sole is back in the Rugby Team again.
- Major Thom
- Royal V.I.P
- Posts: 2885
- Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2015 5:45 am
- Has thanked: 189 times
- Been thanked: 375 times
- Gender:
- Contact:
Re: Sisi opens biggest military base in Middle East and Afri
You start to see where the borrowed money is going though! No change there. Could this be the next North Korea?
-
- Similar Topics
- Replies
- Views
- Last post
-
- 12 Replies
- 1913 Views
-
Last post by Dusak
-
- 0 Replies
- 2419 Views
-
Last post by HEPZIBAH
-
- 28 Replies
- 4545 Views
-
Last post by newcastle
-
- 7 Replies
- 2518 Views
-
Last post by Alistair1967