According to Government sources, President Sisi will travel to India in late January 2023. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has invited President Sisi to be the Chief Guest of India’s Republic Day Celebrations on 26th January 2023.
President Sisi is expected to be accompanied by a large delegation, including a military contingent that will participate in the Republic Day Parade of India. He will also hold meetings with the President and Prime Minister of India and other senior Ministers and officials.
As two of the world’s most ancient civilizations, India and Egypt have enjoyed close contact for many centuries. Emperor Ashoka’s edicts in India refer to his relations with Egypt under Ptolemy II.
In modern times, Mahatma Gandhi and Saad Zaghloul shared common goals regarding the independence of their countries. An exceptionally close friendship between President Nasser and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru led to a Friendship Treaty between the two countries in 1955 and the foundation of the Non-Aligned Movement.
The continuous political engagement at the highest level has further strengthened our relations. President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s visits to India in October 2015 and in September 2016 gave further impetus to our bilateral relations.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Modi and President Sisi held telephone calls and expressed solidarity with each other to fight the pandemic through closer mutual cooperation.
Egypt procured 50000 doses of ‘Made-in-India’ Covid-19 vaccines in early 2021 while India procured 300,000 doses of Remdesivir to fight the second wave of Covid in India in May 2021.
Bilateral trade has also expanded rapidly by 75% in 2021-22 to reach the highest-ever level of US$ 7.26 billion and they continue to grow in 2022-23 as well.
Around 50 Indian companies have made substantial investments in Egypt with a combined value of over US$ 3.2 billion in sectors like chemicals, energy, automobiles, retail, apparel, and agriculture among others. Overall, these companies provide direct employment to approximately 38,000 Egyptians.
Many of these companies are planning to expand their investments with cumulative additions to the tune of US$ 800 million. Several Indian companies have also shown interest in developing Green Hydrogen and Green Ammonia projects in Egypt. 3 leading Indian companies have also signed MoUs with Egyptian Government, worth US$ 18 billion.
To boost trade and commerce further, Indian Embassy has also activated institutional mechanisms and held the ‘5th India-Egypt Joint Trade Committee’ and ‘5th Joint Business Council’ meetings in July 2022. As a result of these efforts, over 14 business delegations with about 600 Indian companies have visited Egypt since mid-2021.
India and Egypt have also seen a steady expansion in bilateral defense cooperation. The two Air Forces conducted their first-ever Joint Tactical Air Exercise, Dessert Warrior, in late October 2021 in Egypt.
A 57-member Indian Air Force contingent with three Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft and two C-17 aircraft visited Egypt to participate in a month-long Tactical Leadership Program in June 2022. This was the 1st such program organized by Egyptian Air Force.
Indian and Egyptian Special Forces are also planning a joint exercise this month. Indian Naval Ships are also regularly visiting Egyptian ports on goodwill visits.
Past few months have witnessed multiple high-level visits from India to Egypt, beginning with Defense Minister Mr. Rajnath Singh in September 2022, External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar in October 2022 and Minister of Environment Mr. Bhupender Yadav in November 2022. Substantive discussions at different levels were held during these visits. An important MoU on Defense Coo…
Over 100 member strong Egyptian Army contingent practices at kartavya path ahead of India's Republic day parade this week. Egyptian President El Sisi is the chief guest at India's Republic day this year. https://t.co/Sn7gIdtKbI pic.twitter.com/kdAYQlrjCA
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) January 23, 2023
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