Monitoring Desk
NEW DELHI: Egypt and India raised their bilateral relations to a strategic partnership on Wednesday as Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi began his visit to the south Asian country.
El-Sisi arrived in India on a three-day visit on Tuesday evening for meetings with business and political leaders. He will also participate in India’s Republic Day celebrations as the chief guest.
In a joint presser on Wednesday, he and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the formation of their new partnership and plans for long-term cooperation.
“In today’s meetings, President Sisi and I decided to elevate our bilateral relationship into a strategic partnership,” Modi told reporters.
“We have decided that under the Egypt and India strategic partnership, we will develop a long-term infrastructure for bilateral cooperation in the field of science, politics, security, and economics.”
El-Sisi invited PM Modi to visit Cairo to finalize the initiatives, and while more details are expected to be announced then, the announcement is already seen as significant.
Egypt and India collaboration
“Elevation of the bilateral ties to a strategic partnership signifies the importance the two sides attach (to it), especially in defense and security areas,” Anil Trigunayat, former diplomat and a distinguished fellow at the Vivekananda International Foundation think tank in New Delhi.
“As the world undergoes unprecedented disorder and transformation, Egypt is India’s bridge to Africa … To cater to a closer all-round engagement, the two sides have created a robust institutional matrix.”
Navdeep Suri, former Indian ambassador to Egypt, told Arab News that El-Sisi’s visit was an important initiative for New Delhi.
El-Sisi is the first Egyptian president to be invited as a guest of honor for the annual Republic Day parade. According to Suri, the invitation is “imparting fresh momentum” to India’s ties with the largest country in the Arab world.
The Egyptian president is accompanied by five government members, including Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Communications and Information Technology Minister Amr Talaat.
His delegation signed five memorandums with Indian counterparts on culture, youth affairs, cybersecurity, information technology, and public broadcasting.
During Wednesday’s press conference, Modi announced plans to nearly double bilateral trade to $12 billion in the next five years.
