CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi held a meeting on Sunday with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, marking the second leg of the prime minister’s two-day visit to Egypt aimed at enhancing bilateral relations between the two countries.
Egypt and India have a longstanding relationship that dates back to the 1950s when they played significant roles in establishing the Non-Aligned Movement, which sought an alternative path during the Cold War, avoiding alignment with either communism or capitalism.
Modi’s visit to Cairo, which began on Saturday, marks the first state visit by an Indian prime minister to Egypt in over two decades. This trip follows El-Sisi’s official visit to New Delhi as a guest for India’s Independence Day celebrations six months ago.
President El-Sisi welcomed Prime Minister Modi at the presidential palace in Cairo on Sunday morning. The visiting prime minister was honored with Egypt’s highest state award, the Order of the Nile, according to Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson for India’s External Affairs Ministry.
Modi Intends to Strengthen Relations with Egypt
The main focus of Modi’s trip to Egypt is to strengthen bilateral ties between Cairo and New Delhi. The prime minister expressed the intention of both countries to increase bilateral trade swiftly to reach $12 billion annually within five years, up from $7.3 billion in 2021-22.
“This is a remarkable year for our shared relations,” Modi stated during a meeting with Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly on Saturday.
Over the past few years, Presidents El-Sisi and Modi, both in power since 2014, have fostered a closer relationship. They have also resisted pressure from the West to condemn Russia’s war in Ukraine. Both Egypt and India have longstanding ties with the Kremlin.
“There is a change in the global geopolitical and geoeconomic atmosphere wherein both countries wish to play a defining role,” stated India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh during his visit to Cairo in September. “Egypt’s geostrategic location acts as a connecting link between Africa, West Asia, the Mediterranean, and Europe and is also an important country from the Indo-Pacific point of view.”
Modi’s visit to Cairo follows his four-day trip to the United States, where he held discussions with President Joe Biden and top administration officials, addressed Congress, and met with prominent American executives.
