New Delhi: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi has been invited by India as the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations in January to celebrate the ‘momentous occasion’ of completing 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two nations, Ausaf Sayeed, secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs said on Monday.
Sayeed said the two nations established formal relations three days after India attained independence on August 15 in 1947.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi as chief guest for the Republic Day and the invitation was warmly received.
“This is indeed a momentous occasion in our bilateral relations with Egypt when our two countries are celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations. I was told that when we became independent on the 15th of August, 1947 it was three days later on the 18th of August that the relations, formal relations were established which goes on to say the importance which we attach to our relationship with Egypt,” Ausaf Sayeed, secretary (Consular, Passport & Visa and Overseas Indian Affairs) MEA said on Monday.
He further stated: “We have invited Egypt as the guest country during our G20 Presidency this year. It is a matter of satisfaction and the civilization that links between India and Egypt have not only stood the test of time but have also further strengthened by mutual warmth, friendship, and goodwill.”
Sayeed added that the ties between the two nations received further momentum with Abdel Fattah Al Sisi’s visits to India and meetings between the two leaders at various forums, including the United Nations.
Participating in a panel discussion on India-Egypt ties in changing global order, Vijay Thakur Singh, Director General of the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) said the forthcoming visit by Egypt’s President will be the third since he became the president. President Al Sisi made his first visit in October 2015.
“The current visit by President Al Sisi is very crucial not only from the bilateral perspective but also because the visit is taking place at a time when world politics is in flux. The Covid pandemic has caused unprecedented disarray and the Russian-Ukraine conflict has great consequences for global food energy, and fertilizer securities, especially for developing countries as President of G20 for the next year 2022-2023, India has invited Egypt as a guest country to G20 meetings,” Thakur said.
Earlier, in December, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar informed the Parliament that the Egyptian President has accepted the invitation to be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations in India.
