PM Modi meets Egyptian counterpart, top ministers; Discussed strengthening trade ties, strategic partnership

Cairo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday began his first state visit to Egypt by discussing deepening trade ties and further strengthening the strategic partnership with his Egyptian counterpart Mostafa Madbouly and top cabinet ministers. Modi is visiting Egypt at the invitation of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. This is the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Egypt in 26 years.

Modi began his visit with discussions with Prime Minister Madbouly and top cabinet ministers of Egypt to deepen trade ties and further strengthen the strategic partnership. The Prime Minister also met Grand Mufti of Egypt Dr. Shawky Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam and interacted with members of the Indian diaspora. He also met members of the Indian diaspora and the Bohra community. The Prime Minister’s meeting with members of the Bohra community comes ahead of his visit to Cairo’s historic Al-Hakim Mosque on Sunday, which has been restored with the help of India’s Dawoodi Bohra community. The Bohra community in India actually traces its origins to the Fatima dynasty and has renovated the mosque since the 1970s.

This is the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Egypt in 26 years. Earlier, in a special gesture, Modi was warmly received at the airport here by the Prime Minister of Egypt, accorded a ceremonial welcome and given a guard of honour. “I am confident that this visit will strengthen India’s ties with Egypt. I look forward to holding talks with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and participating in other events,” Prime Minister Modi tweeted after landing in Cairo.

Modi’s first official engagement was a meeting with the India Unit, a group of high-level ministers formed by President al-Sisi in March to advance ties with India. During el-Sisi’s visit to India as the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations this year, the two leaders decided to elevate the relationship to the level of a strategic partnership.

Seven members of the Egyptian cabinet led by Madbouly were present at the meeting with Modi. Prime Minister Madbouli and his cabinet colleagues outlined the activities being undertaken by the India unit and proposed new areas of cooperation, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. They appreciated the positive response of their Indian counterparts and looked forward to deepening India-Egypt bilateral relations in a number of areas, the statement said.

Prime Minister Modi appreciated the establishment of the India entity and welcomed this ‘whole of government approach’ to further bilateral relations with India. They also shared India’s readiness to work closely with Egypt in various areas of mutual interest. Ways to strengthen cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, renewable energy, green hydrogen, IT, digital payment platforms, pharma and people-to-people ties were discussed, the statement said.

Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukry, Finance Minister Mohamed Mait and Industry and Trade Minister Ahmed Samir were among seven Egyptian cabinet members present at the meeting. Modi will meet Egyptian President El-Sisi on Sunday. Earlier, the Indian diaspora dressed in traditional attire gathered in large numbers at the Ritz Carlton hotel here to welcome Modi.

When the Prime Minister arrived at the hotel here, he was greeted by members of the Indian community raising the Indian tricolor and raising slogans of ‘Modi, Modi’ and ‘Vande Mataram’. Djena, an Egyptian woman dressed in saree, welcomed Modi by singing the popular song ‘Yeh dosti hum nahi chhodenge’ from the film ‘Sholay’. Impressed by the rendition of the Kishore Kumar-Manna Dey song, the Prime Minister expressed surprise when Jena said she knew very little Hindi and had never been to India.

Prime Minister Modi said, “No one will even know whether you are the daughter of Egypt or the daughter of India.” He will visit the Heliopolis War Cemetery to pay homage to Indian soldiers who laid down their lives in the ultimate act of valor for Egypt during World War I.

The memorial was built by the Commonwealth, although it is dedicated to the 3,799 Indian soldiers who lost their lives in various conflicts of World War I in Egypt. El-Sisi is also scheduled to visit India in September for the G-20 summit where Egypt has been invited as a special guest.