Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil El-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, visited India for 3 days from January 24 – 27, 2023 at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi to attend India’s 74th Republic Day celebrations as the Chief Guest.
- President Sisi is on his second state visit to India, and his visit coincides with the 75th anniversary of Egypt-India diplomatic relations.
- He previously visited India in October 2015 for the 3rd India-Africa Forum Summit and in September 2016 on a state visit.
Greetings from India
i.Droupadi Murmu, President of the Republic of India, accorded President Sisi a ceremonial welcome at the “Rashtrapati Bhavan,” India’s presidential residence in New Delhi, Delhi.
ii.This is the first time the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt has been invited as the chief guest on India’s Republic Day.
- President Sisi is accompanied by a high-level group that includes five ministers and senior officials.
iii.The 2023 Republic Day parade also featured a military contingent from the Egyptian Army.
Note: Egypt has also been invited to be a “Guest Country” during India’s G-20 presidency in 2022-23.
India – Egypt Relations
i.India and Egypt have warm and friendly relations characterised by civilizational, cultural, and economic ties as well as deep-rooted people-to-people ties.
- The dynamic cooperation is centered on common cultural values, a commitment to economic progress, defence and security coordination, and convergence on regional and global issues.
ii.In the financial year 2021–22 (FY22), bilateral trade between Egypt and India reached a record high of USD 7.26 billion.
- Egyptian imports amounted to USD 3.52 billion while Indian exports to Egypt amounted to USD 3.74 billion.
iii.In Egypt, Indian investments presently amount to more than 3.15 billion USD.
iv.Egypt acknowledged India’s candidature for a non-permanent membership on the UN Security Council (UNSC) for the term 2028–2029.
Note: Egypt hosted the 27th Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Sharm el-Sheikh in November 2022.
Key Points:
i.India and Egypt have resolved to upgrade their ties to the “strategic partnership” level, covering a wide range of sectors such as politics, security, defence, energy, and economy, with the signing of various Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs).
ii.India and Egypt have exchanged commemorative postal stamps to honour the 75th anniversary of the establishment of India-Egypt relationship.
- The commemorative postal stamp was exchanged between Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Ministry of Railways; Ministry of Communications; Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India (GoI) and Dr. Amr Ahmed Samih Talaat, Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology.
Various MoUs Signed
MoU between CERT-In & EG-CERT
In order to collaborate on cyber security, the Egyptian Computer Emergency Readiness Team (EG-CERT) and the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) have signed a MoU.
- CERT-In is India’s nodal agency for responding to computer security problems.
The MoU was exchanged between Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Ministry of Communication; MeitY, GoI and Dr. Amr Ahmed Samih Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Egypt.
Memorandum of Cooperation in the fields of Information Technology between India and Egypt
A Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of Information Technology between India and Egypt was exchanged by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Ministry of Communication; MeitY, GoI, and Dr. Amr Ahmed Samih Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Egypt.
MoU in the field of Culture between India and Egypt
The Ministry of Culture, GoI, and the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt have signed an MoU to strengthen cultural ties with the Arab Republic of Egypt.
- The MoU has been signed for continued cultural cooperation for a period of 5 years.
The MoU was signed and exchanged between Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy, Ministry of Culture; Ministry of Tourism; and Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER), GoI and Sameh Hassan Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Egypt.
MoU on Cooperation in Youth Matters between India and Egypt
An MoU on cooperation in youth matters has been signed by Union Minister Anurag Singh Thakur, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB); Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MoYAS), GoI; and Sameh Hassan Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Government of Egypt.
MoU for Cooperation on Broadcasting between Prasar Bharati, India and National Media Authority, Egypt
India and Egypt inked an MoU to enhance content exchange, capacity building, and co-productions between Prasar Bharati (India) and the National Media Authority of Egypt, at Hyderabad House in New Delhi.
- The MoU will provide for co-productions and the training of the officials of both broadcasters in the latest technology for a period of 3 years.
The MoU was signed by Union Minister Anurag Singh Thakur, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MoYAS), GoI and Sameh Hassan Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Government of Egypt.
Prasar Bharati
Prasar Bharati (Akashvani) is an Indian public service broadcaster which distributes information through two divisions: Doordarshan (DD) and All India Radio (AIR), its radio vertical.
- It currently has 39 MoUs with foreign broadcasters for cooperation and partnership in the broadcasting industry.
Key Points:
i.The MoU is a component of Prasar Bharati’s initiatives to expand the reach of DD India Channel and promote India’s achievements through programmes covering the economy, technology, social development, and the country’s rich cultural tradition.
ii.Under the terms of this MoU, both broadcasters will exchange their programmes of various genres bilaterally, which will be aired on their respective radio and television platforms.
Recent Related News:
i.ReNew Power Private Limited (ReNew Power), a subsidiary of ReNew Energy Global Plc (“ReNew”), one of the world’s leading renewable energy firms, has signed the Framework Agreement with the Government of Egypt.
ii.According to the agreement, a Green Hydrogen plant will be built in the Suez Canal Economic Zone with an investment of USD 8 billion and a target of producing 220,000 tons of green hydrogen annually.
About the Arab Republic of Egypt:
President – Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil El-Sisi
Capital – Cairo
Currency – Egyptian Pound (EGP)
