India, Egypt declare ‘strategic partnership’
26-08-2023
11:58 AM
1 min read
What’s in today’s article?
- Why in news?
- India-Egypt Bilateral Relations
- Political Relations between India and Egypt
- Economic Relations between India and Egypt
- Development cooperation between India and Egypt
- Defence Relations between India and Egypt
- Cultural relation between India and Egypt
- Indian Community at Egypt
- News Summary: Outcomes of the State visit of President of Egypt to India
Why in news?
- President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, is on a State Visit to India from 24-27 January 2023.
- President Sisi, who is on his second State Visit to India, was also the Chief Guest at India’s Republic Day on 26 January 2023.
- During this visit, President Sisi and PM Modi held bilateral talks.
India-Egypt Bilateral Relations
- India and Egypt, two of the world’s oldest civilizations, have enjoyed a history of close contact from ancient times.
- Ashoka’s edicts refer to his relations with Egypt under Ptolemy-II.
- Close friendship between President Nasser and PM Nehru led to a Friendship Treaty between the two countries in 1955.
Political Relations between India and Egypt
- Both countries have cooperated closely in multilateral fora and were the founding members of Non-Aligned Movement.
- The year 2022 is of particular significance since it marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relation between India and Egypt.
- Egypt has been invited as a Guest Country during India’s Presidency of G-20.
Economic Relations between India and Egypt
- Bilateral trade has expanded rapidly in 2021-22, amounting to 7.26 billion registering a 75% increase compared to FY 2020-21.
- India’s exports to Egypt during this period amounted to US$ 3.74 billion and Egypt’s exports to India reached US$ 3.52 billion.
- In FY 2021-22, the top Indian imports from Egypt were Mineral Oil/Petroleum, Fertilizers, Inorganic Chemicals and Cotton.
- Main items of export to Egypt from India were Buffalo Meat, Iron & Steel, Engineering Products, Light Vehicles and Cotton Yarn.
- India was the 6th most important trading partner for Egypt in FY2021-22.
- Around 50 Indian companies have invested in various sectors in Egypt with a combined investment exceeding US$ 3.15 billion.
- Egyptian investments in India are to the tune of US$ 37 million.
- Wheat export from India
- Russia-Ukraine conflict has threatened Egypt with a shortage for wheat, 80% of which is imported from Russia and Ukraine.
- In April 2022, Egypt announced inclusion of India in the list of accredited countries which can supply wheat to Egypt, thus ending a long pending Non-Tariff Barrier.
- In May 2022, India — which had put a ban on export of wheat — allowed export of 61,000 tonnes to Egypt.
Development cooperation between India and Egypt
- The grants-in-aid projects include:
- Pan Africa Tele-medicine and Tele-education project in Alexandria University, Solar electrification project in Agaween village and Vocational Training Centre for textile technology in Shoubra, Cairo, which have been completed.
- Technical cooperation and assistance
- Since 2000, over 1300 Egyptian officials have benefited from ITEC and other programs like ICCR and IAFS scholarships.
Defence Relations between India and Egypt
- Exercises
- The first ever IAF-EAF Joint Tactical Air Exercise, Dessert Warrior, was held in Egypt in October 2021.
- For the first time, Indian Air Force participated in Tactical Leadership Programme of Egyptian Air Force Weapons School in 2022.
- Cyclone Exercise between two countries is being held 14-27 Jan 2023 in India.
- Transits:
- Indian Navy Ships undertake port calls at Egyptian ports.
- Egypt regularly provides transit facilities to IAF and IN aircraft ferrying to/ from Russia, Europe and the USA.
Cultural relation between India and Egypt
- The Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC) has been promoting cultural cooperation between the two countries.
- The iconic Cairo Tower (which is the tallest tower in North Africa) was illuminated with Indian National Flag in the evening of 15th August 2021.
Indian Community at Egypt
- At present, the Indian community in Egypt numbers at around 3200, most of whom are concentrated in Cairo.
- There are also a small number of families in Alexandria, Port Said and Ismailia.
- About 400 Indian students are studying in Egypt, mainly in Al Azhar University.
News Summary: Outcomes of the State visit of President of Egypt to India
Relationship upgraded to Strategic Partnership
- Both sides decided to elevate the relationship to Strategic Partnership covering political, security, defence, energy and economic areas.
75 years of establishment of India-Egypt relationship
- Both sides exchanged the Commemorative Postal Stamps to mark 75 years of establishment of India-Egypt relationship.
MoUs signed
- MoU in the area of Cyber Security
- MoU in the fields of Information Technology between India and Egypt
- MoU on Cooperation in Youth Matters between India and Egypt
- MoU in the field of Culture between India and Egypt
The issue of terrorism
- Both countries agreed that concerted action is necessary to end cross-border terrorism.
- And for this, they decided that together both the countries will continue to try to alert the international community.
- They condemned the use of terrorism as a foreign policy tool and called for zero tolerance towards terrorism.
Bilateral trade
- Both sides have decided to take the bilateral trade to 12 billion dollars in the next five years.
Proposal to create permanent channels
- Egyptian President requested PM Modi to create permanent channels to enhance digital connections between small and medium scale industries.
- This will help in improving life of common people.
Q1) What is Suez Canal?
The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. The canal is operated and maintained by the state-owned Suez Canal Authority (SCA) of Egypt.
Q2) What are some of the deserts in Africa?
Africa - the second largest continent in the world is also home to the largest desert in the world - the Sahara. Other deserts include Kalahari Desert, Karoo Desert, Danakil Desert, Chalbi Desert, Namib Desert, and Guban Desert.
Source: India, Egypt elevate ties to strategic partnership, say terror is most serious security threat to humanity | Ministry of External Affairs | Embassy of India in Cairo