Diplomacyindia.com

India’s renewed relations with Egypt – A perspective of two developing nations

India’s renewed relations with Egypt – A perspective of two developing nations
January 27
06:05 2023

New Delhi, Jan 27 (IANS) The visit of Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to India as a guest of honour in India’s Republic Day celebrations came at a crucial time for the two developing nations decades long partnership.

Historically both countries have shared civilizational links for centuries before forging diplomatic relations in 1947 and have been leading multidimensional cooperation for decades as well. Apart from being the founding members of the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM), the two emerging countries also went on to sign a Friendship Treaty in 1955 which further solidified the aspirational outlook of the two nations in enhancing their bilateral relations.

New Delhi’s relation with Cairo in the past decade alone has seen significant positive developments all across different sectors. The two countries have been enhancing upon their relations through forging various partnerships in the realm of defence cooperation, energy security and trade investments amongst other domains.

For decades, both India and Egypt have remained traditional trading partners. India currently is Egypt’s third-largest export market and is also its sixth-largest trading partner. Although there remains more scope to expand bilateral cooperation across sectors, India’s trade with Egypt witnessed a 75 per cent increase in the previous financial year with bilateral trade reaching up to $7.26 billion recently.

The Bilateral Trade Agreement signed in 1978 between the two nations has remained a vital prospect in facilitating cooperation between the two countries.

Given the enhanced role of the two countries in setting global agendas, aspects including in ensuring food security, furthering the voice of the Global South, combating climate change and promoting international peace are domains where great headway can be made.

Moreover, from India’s perspective, greater bilateral relations with Egypt incorporate the will to seek an equitable world order and more importantly cater to the needs of the African nations that pursue for an integrative role in international governance.

In terms of defence cooperation, the two countries have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in September 2022, during the Indian Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh’s visit to Egypt. The MoU included closer cooperation in the field of military training, joint exercises, and defence production amongst others.

The visit played a significant role in propelling the relations between the two countries in the specific domain of security and intelligence operations; a feat achieved for purpose of invigorating India’s role as a reliable defence partner to the whole of Africa, if not only to the northern region of the continent.

With the intensification of relations, the avenues of defence and security have emerged as high priority domains leading to military-to-military commitments including industry cooperation and joint exercises while also enhancing overall defence and security cooperations. In continuation of these defence talks, Egypt’s special forces also held a joint exercise with their Indian counterparts in Jodhpur in January 2023, signalling the growing collaborative effort between the two strongest militaries in the world.

In light of such efforts, it is only fitting if such measures are fully capitalised upon. Domestic defence industries are an aspect both countries are rigorously exploring and India and Egypt should focus on enhancing both their domestic production in a way that benefits the two partners through knowledge sharing as well as commercial sales. This proposed outlook is also projected by the fact Egypt is one of the many countries to have shown a keen interest in procuring India’s indigenous Light Combat Aircraft.

More importantly, Egypt also offers a gateway to many other regions that could benefit India’s trade apart from providing a strong market for Egyptian trade. Egypt’s vital geographical location provides access to Asia, Africa and Europe and is an avenue that could potentially facilitate India’s trade links with some valuable commercial markets as well.

Moreover, strategically important sea links border the country including the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea which can potentially create investment opportunities for Indian businesses in the region as well. These routes also offer the shortest sea link between the continents as well as the western world. Thus, forging greater bilateral with the North African country is as much a trading decision as is a geopolitically strategic one.

Although, least to state that minor obstacles still persist in expanding intra-regional cooperations between the two emerging countries, the perspective of mutually beneficial growth should surely take prominence during the scheduled meetings that are to take place in the upcoming visit. The leadership at the top in both the nations to have played an invaluable role in concretising the relations beyond specific sectors and has invigorated a deep-rooted relationship through various means that can sail through hinderances that arise in the course of the renewed relations.

Both Egypt and India are on a path of reshaping the global world order and more specifically are altering the dynamics of their regions as well for the better development of their neighbourhoods. A common prosperous goal has already been laid down by both the countries

with Egypt leading the North African developmental trajectory and India with its remarkable growth potential that could elevate other developing nations on its path. Hence, it is not only desirable for both the nations, but is also in the larger interest of the global community that the two mutually aligned emerging nations work in tandem for the development of the global south as whole. Thus, enhanced bilateral relation between the two allies are more of a gateway to ensure that a sustainable global growth story is led by two of the oldest civilisational societies to have existed.

About Author

admin

admin

Related Articles

Dr Meena Singh Roy speaking on Uzbekistan Constitutional Reform Referendum 2023

On the Eve of 30th Years of Independence of Republic of Uzbekistan, H.E. Dilshod Akhatov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to India in conversation with Ameya Sathaye, Editor-in-Chief.

Denmark Ambassador to India Freddy Svane in conversation with Amb Pradeep Kapur & Ameya Sathaye, Editor-in-Chief

Italy india will work closely together for G20 : Italy Envoy to India

Do you know why FINLAND is ranked number ONE in Happiness index, watch this interview with Finland Ambassador to India

Exclusive Interview : H.E. Jasem Ibrahem Al Najem Ambassador of Kuwait to India speaks on India Kuwait bilateral relations

ड्रैगन ने हाथी को क्यों डसा, भारत- चीन रिश्तों की कहानी- रंजीत कुमार के साथ अमेय साठे की विषेष चर्चा ड्रैगन ने हाथी को क्यों डसा, भारत- चीन रिश्तों की कहानी- रंजीत कुमार के साथ अमेय साठे की विषेष चर्चा 0 comment Read Full Article

H.E. Reuben Gauci, Ambassador of Malta to India speaks on India-Malta Bilateral Relations

Portugal supports India in covid crisis : Portugal Ambassador Carlos Pereira Marques speaks with Ameya Sathaye, Editor-in-Chief

Vietnam Ambassador to India, Pham Sanh Chau speaks on Vietnam support to India in tackling covid crisis

Netherlands supports India in covid crisis : Netherlands Ambassador Marten van den Berg speaks with Ameya Sathaye

Envoy Speaks : Gopal Baglay, Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka speaks on Bilateral relations, business opportunities, Tourism & people to people to people contacts

Kuwait reciprocates, we stand with India in this hour of crisis : Kuwait Ambassador to India

Canadian High Commissioner, Nadir Patel speaking on support to India in covid crisis

Italian Ambassador to India, Vincenzo de Luca speaking on Italy support to India in covid crisis

H.E. Mr. Reuben Gauci, Malta High Commissioner to India speaks with Ameya Sathaye, Editor-in-Chief of Malta support to India in covid crisis

Danish Ambassador to India Freddy Svane speaking on Denmark aid to India

Video Interview with Vinod Daniel, CEO, India Vision Institute, Board Member, International Council of Museums & Chairman, Ausheritage

DENMARK AMBASSADOR FREDDY SAVNE VISIT TO CORONOVIRUS VACCINE FACILITY AT HYDERABAD, A TRIP ORGANISED BY MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, GOVT OF INDIA FOR FOREIGN ENVOYS BASED IN INDIA.

MALTA HIGH COMMISSIONER TO INDIA, H.E. REUBEN GAUCI SHARING HIS IMPRESSION ABOUT HIS VISIT TO HYDERABAD : TRIP ORGANISED BY MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA FOR ENVOYS BASED IN INDIA TO UPDATE ON CORONAVIRUS VACCINE

H.E. Mr. Dinesh Bhatia, Ambassador of India to Argentina in conversation with Ameya Sathaye, Editor-in-Chief

Pictures of Formal Launch of Website Diplomacyindia.com

Exclusive Interview with Prime Minister of Guyana, H.E. Mr. Moses Veerasammy Nagamootoo during his recent visit to India.Highlights of the interview were Indian Cultural Connect, Vibrant Bilateral Ties and Cultural Connect and India’s Economic Prowess.

Video Message from Shri Prakash Javadekar, MoS (IC) for Forest, Environment & Climate Change on eve of Formal Launch of Website Diplomacyindia.com

Message from Gen. V K Singh, (Retd.) Hon’ble MoS, External Affairs to Diplomacyindia.com