Egypt's Sisi meets India’s Modi to expand ties

The President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, the capital of India, in order to expand ties between the two countries. 

The Egyptian leader arrived in New Delhi as the chief guest for India’s Republic Day celebrations this week. He received a warm welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 25 from Modi and Indian President Droupadi Murmu. 

He arrived in India with a high-level delegation, including five ministers and senior officials. The Indian Prime Minister said at a joint press briefing, “I welcome Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and his delegation to India. He will be the chief guest for our Republic Day celebrations.”

The two leaders also held a meeting. They discussed regional and global issues of mutual concern. They also called for further development in the bilateral relationship between India and Egypt.

The Egyptian President is on a three-day state visit to India. This is Sisi’s third visit to India after assuming the presidency of Egypt in 2014. This is the first time that an Egyptian leader will be a guest on Republic Day. In 2015, he visited New Delhi to participate in the third India-Africa Forum Summit. In 2016, he also visited India. 

These two countries have historically shared a friendly relationship. This year, India and Egypt completed 75 years of diplomatic relations. India has also invited Egypt to the New Delhi G20 (Group of 20) summit to be held this year. 

The bilateral trade between India and Egypt reached a record high of US$ 7.26 billion in 2021-22. The two countries also enhanced cooperation in the field of agriculture, energy, defense, security, textiles, industries, and retail sectors.

Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh traveled to Cairo, the capital of Egypt, in September 2022. He signed an MoU to bolster defense cooperation with Egypt.