Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El -Sisi met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday and held a bilateral dialogue. Sisi is the chief guest at the 74th Republic Day parade which will take place on Thursday, January 26.
Both leaders met at New Delhi’s Hyderabad House. He earlier met Union external affairs minister S Jaishankar.
PM Modi said bilateral ties between Cairo and New Delhi has deepened over the last few years. “India and Egypt are two of the oldest civilisations. There is a history of trade relations between our two countries. In the last few years, our bilateral ties have deepened. This year Egypt has been invited as a special guest at the upcoming G20 meeting,” PM Modi said.
Both leaders presided over the release of postage stamps commemorating 75 years of diplomatic relations. Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) were signed between both nations covering railway, information technology, tourism and in matters related to youth.
Speaking to ANI, Sisi said it is a great privilege to be the chief guest for India’s Republic Day celebrations. This is Sisi’s first visit to India. “I reiterate my congratulations to the Indian nation, government and people for this great day. It is a great privilege to be a guest of honour and participate in the glorious national day,” Sisi was quoted as saying by news agency ANI, as he met reporters outside the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Both leaders also said that they aim to take the bilateral trade between both nations to $12bn within the next five years. Issues related to cyber security and preventing cross-border terrorism were also discussed.
“India and Egypt are concerned about terrorism. Both countries agree that strong actions must be taken to control cross-border terrorism,” PM Modi said.
Sisi also told mediapersons that he expects the visit to take bilateral relations to a whole new level. He was welcomed by President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday. He also paid his respects to the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi as he laid the wreath on his memorial at Rajghat.
Also present were Union Ministers including External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, and Lieutenant Governor of Delhi VK Saxena among others.
Sisi was accorded a warm welcome on his arrival to New Delhi. Five other ministers have accompanied him. He is on a three-day visit to India and will depart for Cairo on January 27.
Egypt has also been accorded the Guest Country status under India’s G20 Presidency. During his meeting with PM Modi, both leaders discussed bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest. A state banquet will be held in honour of the visiting dignitary on Wednesday evening.
He will also meet Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. Sisi is also scheduled to meet ‘business leaders’.
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