Why Have India and Egypt Rekindled Their Ties With Each Other?

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in news?
• Why have India and Egypt rekindled their ties with each other?
• Key highlights of the visit

 

Why in news?

• PM Modi left for India after concluding his first-ever visit to Egypt where he held talks with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

 

Why have India and Egypt rekindled their ties with each other?

A. Imperative for India

• Push to engage the Global South
  • Indian government is pushing hard to engage the Global South.
• Rekindling of the principles of non-alignment
  • India also wants to rekindle the principles of non-alignment that have come back to the fore during Russia – Ukraine war.
• Strategic weight of Egypt
  • With a population of almost 110 million, Egypt is situated at a location that straddles Africa and Asia.
  • It has a standing army that is the largest in the region, a capital that hosts the League of Arab States and a diplomatic presence that punches above its weight in global affairs.
  • India is keen on further expanding its ties with Egypt, a key player in the politics of both the Arab world as well as Africa. 
• Economic importance of Egypt
  • Egypt has boosted its attractiveness through a series of free trade agreements that span Africa (ACFTA; AGADIR; COMESA), Europe (EFTA), Latin America (MERCOSUR) and the Arab world (GAFTA).
  • It is also seen as a major gateway to markets in Africa and Europe.
• Egypt’s plans to develop the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE) into a global manufacturing hub
  • The ambitious plans to develop the Suez Canal Economic Zone into a global manufacturing hub are now gathering critical mass.
  • SCZONE sits astride both banks of the Suez Canal, a strategic waterway that connects the Mediterranean with the Red Sea to provide the shortest link between European and Asian markets.
  • China, as usual, has been the first to take advantage of the opportunities presented by SCZONE.
    • China views SCZONE as a vital part of its Belt and Road and Maritime Silk Road projects.
  • A deeper economic engagement with Egypt therefore acquires an additional strategic imperative.
• Resetting India’s ties with Muslim-majority countries
  • India’s ties with Muslim-majority countries were tested following controversial remarks made by then spokesperson of ruling party in June 2022.
  • That Egypt was one of the few countries from the Arab world which did not react officially to the controversial remarks.
• Other factors
  • India wants to draw huge amounts of capital from Gulf nations, curtail religious extremism by supporting moderate countries in the region and participate in the security politics of the area.
  • And in order to do all this, India has realised that Egypt is a key player. 
    • The country has remained fairly moderate over the years.
    • It shares strong ties with the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
    • It is located at a crucial geo-strategic location — 12 per cent of global trade passes through the Suez Canal.

B. Imperative for Egypt

• Cairo wants India’s help to tackle its battered economy. 
• The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic coupled with the implications of the Russia and Ukraine war has worsened its financial woes. 
• Inflation in the country is at a five-year high of over 30 per cent and it has approached the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the fourth time in six years for a bailout.

 

Key highlights of the visit

• Order of the Nile award to PM Modi
  • Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi conferred Modi with ‘Order of the Nile’ award, the country’s highest state honour.
    • This is the 13th such state honour that several countries have conferred upon PM Modi.
• MoUs/Agreements signed
  • An agreement to elevate the bilateral relationship to a "Strategic Partnership" was signed by the two leaders. 
  • Three MoUs in the fields of Agriculture, Archaeology & Antiquities and Competition Law were also signed.
• PM Modi extended an invitation to the (Egypt) President for the G20 Summit
  • Prime Minister Modi extended an invitation to the Egyptian President for the G20 Summit which is upcoming in September 2023.
• PM Modi visited the historic 11th-century Al-Hakim Mosque in Cairo
  • PM Modi also visited the historic 11th-century Al-Hakim Mosque in Cairo, which was restored with the help of India’s Dawoodi Bohra community.
    • The Dawoodi Bohra Muslims are a sect of followers of Islam who adhere to the Fatimi Ismaili Tayyibi school of thought. 
    • They are known to have originated from Egypt and later shifted to Yemen, before establishing a presence in India in the 11th century. 
    • They renovated the mosque from 1970 onwards and have been maintaining it since then.
  • The historic Mosque has been named after Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, the 16th Fatimid caliph and is an important religious and cultural site for the Dawoodi Bohra community.
• PM visits Heliopolis War Cemetery in Cairo
  • PM Modi also visited Heliopolis War Cemetery in Cairo to pay respects to Indian soldiers who laid down their lives during World War I.

 

---

Q1) What is Heliopolis War Cemetery?

The Heliopolis War Cemetery is a cemetery located in Cairo, Egypt. It is a burial ground for soldiers who died during World War I and World War II. The cemetery is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), an organization responsible for commemorating the Commonwealth servicemen and women who died in the two world wars.

 

Q2) Where is Al-Hakim Mosque?

Al-Hakim Mosque, also known as the Mosque of Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, is located in Cairo, Egypt. The mosque was built during the 11th century (990-1013 AD) and is named after the Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, who commissioned its construction. It is considered one of the most important Islamic architectural landmarks in Cairo.

Source: PM Modi leaves for India after concluding historic state visits to US, Egypt | Ministry of External Affairs | Times Of India | Indian Express