Three of the top ten countries that imported weapons in the Middle East from 2018-2022 included Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt, CNN Arabic reported. The top five countries for arms importers included India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Australia and China, which accounted for 36 percent of the total global arms imports. The report included 167 countries classified as major arms importers between 2018 and 2022. Under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Egypt has purchased weapons from both France and the United States, despite a temporary block on arms exports from the US. Egypt has also made weapons deals with Russia and Germany, part of an overall policy of diversifying the sources of military and security support.

Source: Egypt Independent March 14, 2023 16:23 UTC