Egypt and North Korea was inevitable, as Pyongyang also holds its own extensive array of Soviet weaponry. Trading spare parts with North Korea is important to maintaining Egypt's Soviet-bought arsenal.

The cooperation goes further than repairs to old artillery. North Korea has routinely rebuilt and updated Soviet weaponry, providing more efficient and longer range missiles at cheaper cost. The prospect of cheaper weapons has seen Egypt's defence missile system become heavily equipped with North Korean Scud-C missiles since the 1990s.

In 2015 President Sisi openly invited North Korean officials to the opening ceremony of the "New Suez Canal". For years, the canal served a crucial role in aiding North Korea in getting around tough international sanctions. The Egyptian regime routinely turned a blind eye to cargo ships carrying weaponry andammunition heading to North Korea.

Sawiris' North Korean connection was widely advertised - but it is the Egyptian military's alleged need for a vast and diverse arsenal that has created the problematic entanglement between Egypt and North Korea.

Historic loyalties

The intricacies of Egyptian-North Korean military relations are far from common knowledge. The bond between the two nations stretches as far back as the Korean war.

Nasser's Egypt began trading with North Korea in 1958 and by 1963 the two nations had established full diplomatic relations. It wasn't until 1995 that Mubarak's government recognised the sovereignty of South Korea.

Trading spare parts with North Korea is important to maintaining Egypt's Soviet-bought arsenal

Cold War politics played a major role in Nasser's approach to Pyongyang. Allying himself with the Soviet bloc meant that the Pan-Arabist