New Delhi: India and Egypt on Wednesday upgraded their bilateral ties to strategic partnership as Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi began his visit to South Asia’s largest country.
Al-Sisi arrived in India on Tuesday evening on a three-day visit to hold meetings with political and business leaders. He will also participate as the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations of India – a public holiday that came into force on January 26, 1950, when the Indian Constitution came into effect.
At 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 meeting, President Sisi and I decided to upgrade our bilateral relations to a strategic partnership,” Modi told reporters.
We have decided that under the India-Egypt strategic partnership, we will develop long-term infrastructure for cooperation in the fields of politics, security, economics and science.
El-Sisi invited Modi to visit Cairo to finalize the initiative and while more details are expected to be announced, the announcement is already seen as significant.
“Elevating the bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership is of importance to both sides, especially in the defense and security sectors,” said Anil Trigunayat, former diplomat and distinguished fellow at the Vivekananda International Foundation think tank in New Delhi. Arab News.
“As the world goes through unprecedented dislocation and change, Egypt is India’s bridge to Africa… Both sides have built a strong institutional matrix to forge a closer all-round engagement.”
India’s former ambassador to Egypt Navdeep Suri 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 the guest of honor for the annual Republic Day parade, and according to Suri, the invitation is “giving new momentum” to India’s ties with the Arab world’s largest country. “.
“With a population of nearly 110 million, a location that straddles Africa and Asia, a standing army that is the largest in the region, a capital that hosts the League of Arab States, and a diplomatic presence that plays an important role in global affairs.” punches above its weight, Egypt is an important player,” Suri said.
“It is also a country with which India maintained an exceptionally close relationship in the first few decades after our independence.”
The Egyptian President is accompanied by five members of his government, including Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat.
His delegation signed five memorandums of understanding with Indian counterparts on culture, youth affairs, cyber security, information technology and public broadcasting.
Al-Sisi’s second state visit to India since 2016 comes at a time when Cairo is trying to manage a dollar shortage and attract more foreign investment beyond its traditional alliances with the US and European powers. Trying to make business relation.
During Wednesday’s press conference, Modi announced plans to nearly double bilateral trade to $12 billion over the next five years.
Suri said that economic relations with Egypt are of strategic importance for India and preparations should be made on both sides for this.
“While Egypt clearly needs to do more to market itself as an investment destination in India, it is also important for industry bodies in India to take a more proactive approach,” he added.
“For now, there are clear signs that under Prime Minister Modi and Egyptian President al-Sisi, India may finally be moving towards achieving some of the potential in bilateral relations that has remained unfulfilled for the past four decades.”