On its 74th Republic Day, India had invited the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi as the Chief Guest of the parade. New Delhi, as always, used its national celebration to build bilateral ties with important partners. The virtue signalling of 2023 clearly shows India’s greater interest in boosting ties with Egypt which remains a civilisational state like India. Both the countries have a past that is older than the era of Christ. One of India’s greatest kings Ashoka (268-232 B.C.) referred to his ties with Egypt under Ptolemy II. The Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal era had introduced some European influences into India too.
But it was not until 1950’s when both countries gained independence that the relationship started flourishing. Just like the similar visions of Mahatma Gandhi and Saad Zaghloul, the friendship between Jawaharlal Nehru and Gamal Abdel Nasser led to a friendship treaty in 1955 which led to formation of the Non-Aligned Movement.
Although bilateral visits continued between both, it was not until ex-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s tenure in 2008 that relations started growing faster with a host of agreements in health, outer space and trade. Then PM of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh had also visited the fifteenth NAM Summit at Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt in 2009. Even after the Egyptian Revolution, high level exchanges have continued to build closer ties with India.
Notably, President El-Sisi had visited India in 2015 to attend the 3rd India-Africa Forum Summit. Abdel El-Sisi arrived on 24th January with a high-level delegation comprising five ministers and senior officials. The visit comprised of broad level engagements on trade, security and other matters of international importance. As India serves as the President and host of G-20, Egypt has also been invited as a guest country in the dialogues.
On January 25, PM Narendra Modi announced that India and Egypt have agreed to elevate their ties to “Strategic Partnership” as both continue to share similar views on global security and trade. During the event, President El-Sisi said, “I have requested Prime Minister Modi to create permanent channels to enhance digital connections between small and medium scale industries and that will help in improving life of common people. Defence cooperation was part of today’s discussion and our joint military exercise is an example of that cooperation.” A host of MoUs were also signed to strengthen civil and defense ties.
Egypt and India have a long history of collaboration within Non-Aligned Movement which has become prominent after Ukraine-Russia conflict. In fact, both countries have adopted a cautious neutral stance after the breakout of tensions in Ukraine. Both India and Egypt have advocated for peace and faced significant headwinds due to supply constraints emanating from the war.
Bilateral trade between Egypt and India has grown to $7.26 billion in 2022 and around fifty Indian companies have also invested about $3billion in Egyptian economy. During the recent visit, President Abdel El-Sisi and PM Narendra Modi agreed to boost the trade to $12 billion in the coming five years. After the war in Ukraine, Egypt faced a massive shortage of wheat reserved due to its high dependency on imports from Ukraine and Russia. In 2022, Egypt imported a massive consignment of Indian wheat to fulfil its requirements. Such engagements explain the significance of ties with India which is an agricultural powerhouse.
Military ties between India and Egypt dated back to 1960s. In recent decades, the spirit of military cooperation picked pace after the formation of the Joint Defence Committee in 2006 which overlooked collaboration in areas of joint production of military equipment. Six such meetings have already been completed between both governments. Regular exchange of military personnel for training, acquaintance and exercises have continued over the past decade. From January 14 till January 28, the special forces of the Indian Military and Egypt participated in the bilateral joint exercise named “Cyclone 2023.” It was the first such exercise between both nations which involved heliborne operations. The complexity of the exercise which involves practicing elimination of high-value targets suggests the strategic nature of military cooperation.
On its part, Egypt has offered exclusive access to Indian industry to invest in Suez Industrial area. This opens a new market for bright Indian investors in the region. The ties between Egypt and India are historical in nature and derive its importance from the presence of people-to-people relations for the past three millennia. As we progress into the 21st century, India can help Egypt in many sectors such as cyber, infrastructure, electronics, defence, etc. Indian defence technology is poised to grow as a sustainable fully home-grown and dependable industry that should be utilized by Egyptians for joint manufacturing. The successful Indian Information Technology market has a lot of learning that can be emulated by the Egyptian industry too. Food Security and cooperation on shipping is another facet of the relations. The greatness of the era of the Pharoah and Ashoka is again dawning upon the ancient civilizations as Egypt and India head into the 21st century.
