Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi signed a joint declaration to elevate relations between the two countries to the level of a strategic partnership, which reflects the common cultural heritage between Egypt and India at both official and popular levels, in addition to the mutual will between the two friendly countries to advance bilateral relations.
Al-Sisi has expressed Egypt’s confidence in an active Indian presidency of the G20, which would help contain the negative repercussions of international challenges on the global economy.
Al-Sisi affirmed Egypt’s full readiness to cooperate with the Indian chairmanship of the group to move the talks in a constructive direction, so as to reach optimal ways to deal with energy crises, climate change and food shortages, and to obtain financing for developing countries.
This came during the reception of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, Sunday, in Cairo, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, who is on a state visit to Egypt, the first of its kind..
Presidential Spokesman Counselor Ahmed Fahmy said that the two leaders held talks at the summit level, during which they confirmed the distinction of the historical relations between the two friendly countries, and the mutual commitment to reach wider horizons in various fields, especially through the intensification of mutual visits between senior officials of the two countries.
The Indian Prime Minister’s visit to Egypt comes on the heels of the President’s state visit to New Delhi last January. It also coincides with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Egypt and India.
During the meeting, Al-Sisi and Modi discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations in several areas, especially telecommunications, information technology, pharmaceuticals, vaccines, higher education, and new and renewable energy, including green hydrogen.
They also discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in the field of tourism and culture through direct flights between Cairo and New Delhi, the volume of trade and the exchange of strategic goods between the two countries, and the development of Indian investments in Egypt in the coming period.
The two sides exchanged views on the developments of a number of regional and international issues of common interest, with the Indian Prime Minister inviting President Al-Sisi to participate in the upcoming G20 Summit in New Delhi under the Indian presidency.
After the meeting, President Al-Sisi awarded the Order of the Nile, Egypt’s highest honour, to India’s Prime Minister.
Vinay Kwatra, Foreign Secretary of India, told Daily News Egypt in a press conference that new and renewable energy is very important to India as they have a target of 500GW from them. Green hydrogen in particular is one of the focuses of India, where it sees that there is a great opportunity for cooperation with Egypt.
Regarding Egypt’s BRICS membership proposal, he said that all members are currently studying the procedures leading to membership.
Analysts praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Egypt, which boosts Indian investment in Cairo.
The prime minister’s visit to Egypt is expected to pave the way for a substantial increase in Indian investments in Egypt, which is Egypt’s gateway to the BRICS economic bloc, a powerful grouping of the world’s largest economies, according to a news report by the India-based news agency.
The report indicated that this is Prime Minister Modi’s first visit to Egypt and the first by an Indian Prime Minister to Cairo since 1997.
The report added that Modi’s visit is seen as reinforcing bilateral relations, which the two sides have already raised to a strategic level during Al-Sisi’s visit in January. Analysts say this could also reveal the contours of how relations could develop in the coming days.
Commenting on the visit, the report quoted Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi as saying: “This is a very quick and reciprocal visit and comes only within six months of President Al-Sisi’s visit to India.
“I am confident that the visit will not only ensure continued momentum in the relationship between our two countries, but also help expand it to new areas of trade and economic engagement.”
According to the report, the visit, from Egypt’s point of view, is related to diversifying partnerships outside the Western Bloc. As for India, observers say it will boost its position as the voice of the global South as it prepares to host a September G-20 meeting in the capital, New Delhi.
Along with bilateral talks and various trade agreements, Modi meets the small Indian community and is expected to meet some of Egypt’s most prominent leaders.
The report recalled that India and Egypt enjoy close relations, as the two countries were founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in 1961, a global forum of 120 developing countries that believe in the impartiality of major power blocs.