Egypt’s Minister of State for Military Production Mohamed Al-Assar discussed on Friday with an official delegation from the Anglo Belgian Corporation (ABC),  the Belgian engine manufacturer, ways for the Belgian company to help develop Egypt's manufacturing capabilities in order to upgrade the railway sector.

Al-Assar and ABC officials explored ways the Belgian side could share its advanced technology to allow the ministry firms to manufacture locomotive engines for the country's railway sector, the ministry said in a statement on Friday.

The talks between the Egyptian and Belgian sides come a month after Minister Al-Assar, along with Egypt’s Minister of Transport Hisham Arafat, visited railway engineering company Bombardier in Germany and Belgium’s ABC to discuss ways to meet the needs of the country’s railway system.

The minister said the ministry’s companies aim to supply locomotive engines to the local market, as well as exporting to Arab and African markets.

The ABC delegation said they would draw up a preliminary report on ways to cooperate with the Egyptian ministry after they visited three of the ministry’s firms that specialize in the manufacturing of diesel engines and armoured vehicles.