India - Egypt

27-Jan-2023: India-Egypt Relations

On the occasion of the 74th Republic Day, the President of Egypt was invited as the chief guest at the parade, this is the first time that an Egyptian President has been accorded this honour.

Significance:

2023 meeting elevates bilateral relationship to strategic partnership
Partnership elements: political, defence, and security; economic engagement; scientific and academic collaboration; cultural and people-to-people contacts
MOU signed for exchange of programmes between Prasar Bharati and National Media Authority of Egypt
India views Egypt as moderate Islamic voice and partner in OIC
Concerns about spread of terrorism and cross-border terrorism are dealt with
Defence and security cooperation deepening
Joint special forces exercise underway
India allowing wheat shipments to Egypt despite restrictions
Egypt seeking Indian investments in infrastructure
Over 50 Indian companies invested over USD 3.15 billion in Egypt.China's bilateral trade with Egypt double that of India's.
Egypt occupies crucial geo-strategic location and is a major market and gateway for India
Bilateral trade pacts with West Asian and African nations a cause of concern for India.

Past history:

Historical contacts since Emperor Ashoka
Mahatma Gandhi and Saad Zaghloul shared goal of independence from British rule
Diplomatic relations established in 1947, friendship treaty signed in 1955
Non-Aligned Movement established in 1961
Joint statement in 2016 identified new partnership based on political-security cooperation, economic engagement, scientific collaboration, and cultural ties
Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture established in Cairo in 1992

2022

20-Sep-2022: Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh & his Egyptian counterpart General Mohamed Zaki hold bilateral talks in Cairo

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh held bilateral talks with Egyptian Defence Minister General Mohamed Zaki in Cairo on September 19, 2022. Shri Rajnath Singh, who is on an official visit to Egypt, was accorded a ceremonial Guard of Honour at the Ministry of Defence in Cairo, prior to the commencement of bilateral talks. During the meeting, both sides discussed steps to strengthen defence ties and reached a consensus to enhance conduct of joint exercises and exchange of personnel for training, especially in the field of counter-insurgency.

The two Ministers also agreed to identify proposals for expanding cooperation between the defence industries of India and Egypt in a time-bound manner. They also exchanged views on regional security and acknowledged the contribution of India and Egypt to peace & stability in the world. Both sides expressed happiness at the intensified defence engagement and exchanges over the last year, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following the Raksha Mantri’s call on with the President of Egypt Mr. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, both the Ministers agreed to consolidate and focus on enhancing security and defence aspects of bilateral cooperation. Signing of MoU by the two Defence Ministers on cooperation in the field of defence was a milestone event during the visit, which will pave the way for enhancing defence cooperation across all sectors of mutual interest.

Shri Rajnath Singh also invited his Egyptian counterpart to the India-Africa Defence Dialogue and IOR Defence Ministers’ Conclave, scheduled to be held as part of 12th DefExpo in Gandhinagar, Gujarat between October 18-22, 2022.

As part of his day’s engagements, the Raksha Mantri paid homage at the Unknown Soldier Memorial and Tombstone of the late Egyptian President Anwar El–Sadat in Cairo.

28-Jul-2022: 5th Session of India-Egypt Joint Trade Committee and 5th India-Egypt Joint Business Council Meeting 25-26 July 2022 Cairo

A five-member delegation from India led by Dr. Srikar K Reddy, Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry of India, accompanied by His Excellency Mr. Ajit Gupte, Ambassador of India to Egypt, called on Her Excellency Mrs. Nevine Gamea, Minister of Trade and Industry, Arab Republic of Egypt, in Cairo on 26 July 2022. The agreed minutes of the 5th Session of the India-Egypt Joint Trade Committee (JTC), held on 25 July 2022, were signed between the two sides in the presence of the Hon’ble Minister.

The JTC was co-chaired by Mr. Yahya El Wathik Bellah, First Under Secretary and Head of Egyptian Commercial Service (ECS); and Dr. Srikar K Reddy, Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry of India. His Excellency Mr. Ajit Gupte, Ambassador of India to Egypt, and officials from concerned Government agencies of India and Egypt also participated in the JTC. The 5th India-Egypt JTC took place in the backdrop of robust growth in trade and investment ties between India and Egypt. Bilateral trade reached a historic record high of USD 7.26 bn in FY 2021-22 which is an increase of 75% over FY 2020-21. Egypt is also one of the largest investment destinations for India in the region with existing Indian investment of USD 3.15 bn. Indian companies continue to execute several projects in Egypt.

Both sides undertook a detailed review of recent developments in trade and investment ties and noted that the relationship, while already excellent, has huge potential to be scaled up even further. To this effect, both sides identified several areas of focus for enhancing both bilateral trade as well as mutually beneficial investments. These include food, agro and marine products, energy particularly renewable energy including green hydrogen and green ammonia, health and pharmaceuticals, chemicals and petrochemicals, MSMEs, engineering goods, manufacturing, IT and IT enabled services, tourism, and so on. Both sides also reviewed the progress of ongoing discussions for Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) in the field of standards, IT, and transport, and agreed to conclude them expeditiously.

Affirming mutual keenness in diversifying and expanding trade and investment linkages, both sides set an annual bilateral trade target of US$ 12 billion to be achieved within 5 years. To accelerate trade, both sides agreed to expeditiously address all issues impeding bilateral trade; facilitate trade promotion between the two countries; and identify bilateral focal points to further strengthen bilateral institutional cooperation. Both sides made progress in the discussion on resolution of non-tariff barriers with the Egyptian side agreeing to expedite scheduling of the visit of its technical delegations to India to address NTB issues related to export of some of the Indian agricultural products to Egypt. Also, with reference to cooperation in pharmaceuticals sector, Egyptian side agreed to initiate technical discussions with concerned agency in India to take forward the proposal of inclusion of India in the list of reference countries accepted by Egyptian authorities for import of pharmaceutical products.

On 26th July 2022, 5th meeting of Joint Business Council (JBC) was jointly organized by FICCI and Egyptian Commercial Services. A large business delegation from India is currently visiting Egypt to participate in the JBC and to hold B2B interactions with their Egyptian counterparts. Presence of large business delegation comprising of representatives of prominent business houses from both, India and Egypt, and leading business personalities belonging to the sectors of interest attested to the strong interest and enthusiasm among businesses of both countries to enhance economic and trade relations.

The deliberations of the 5th Sessions of India-Egypt JTC and JBC were cordial and forward-looking, reflecting the traditionally friendly and special relations between the two countries. The meetings of the JTC and JBC were timely and productive, reflecting a common desire of the business communities of both sides to renew and strengthen trade and investment ties in the post-pandemic era and take them to new heights.