Cairo: A poem titled “Gandhi” by Egyptian poet Ahmad Shawqi on the role of Mahatma Gandhi in India’s independence struggle took the centre stage at Cairo hotel, the venue of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stay during his visit to the country.
Photographs of Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Al Sisi’s visit to India this January also find place in the exhibition.
Modi on Saturday arrived on a two-day State visit to Egypt.
During this visit, Modi will hold strategic talks with his counterpart Mostafa Madbouly and Al Sisi.
Several members of the Indian community, who were present at the Ritz Carlton hotel to welcome Modi, expressed immense excitement and called it a proud moment.
“I have been living here for the last nine years. Although we are away from our country, here we feel that we are a part of our country. We all have the passion to meet the Prime Minister, just like people have for meeting film stars. He is a hero to us. I personally feel that it (PM’s visit) will be very good for both countries. It is really a proud moment,” Ankush said.
Alka Walia who calls Cairo her home for the last 17 years said: “This is super special. This is the first visit by an Indian PM after 1997. So the excitement level is beyond expectations. We are looking forward to seeing him. I think words are not enough to define that, whichever country he (PM Modi) has travelled to, he has made us proud. We feel lucky and excited to have PM Modi in Egypt. We are super proud as Indians”.
The hotel lobby was bustling with activity ahead of the Prime Minister’s arrival. Modi will also meet 70 people from the Indian Community residing in Egypt.
Modi is visiting Egypt at the invitation of Al Sisi, which he extended in January 2023 when he graced India’s Republic Day celebrations as the ‘Chief Guest.’
Indian Ambassador to Egypt Ajit Gupte on Friday said that for the first time, a round table meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly will take place.
Visit to mosque
Prime Minister will spend nearly half an hour at the Al Hakim Mosque. The mosque is an important cultural site for the Dawoodi Bohra community in Cairo.
During his first Egypt tour, the PM will also visit Heliopolis War Grave cemetery to pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice fighting for Egypt during the First World War.
The visit is of significance as Egypt has traditionally been one of India’s most important trading partners in the African continent. India-Egypt Bilateral Trade Agreement has been in operation since March 1978 and is based on the Most Favored Nation clause, according to the Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS).
India was Egypt’s fifth largest trading partner in the period April 2022-Dec 2022. It was the 11th-largest importer of Egyptian goods and the 5th-largest exporter to Egypt during the same time.
Since the 1980s, there have been four Prime Ministerial visits from India to Egypt.
Rajiv Gandhi visited the country in 1985, PV Narasimha Rao in 1995, IK Gujral in 1997, and Manmohan Singh in 2009.
From the Egyptian side, President Hosni Mubarak visited India in 1982, in 1983 (NAM Summit), and again in 2008.
High-level exchanges with Egypt continued after the 2011 Egyptian Revolution and then President Mohammed Morsi visited India in March 2013. External Affairs Minister (EAM) visited Cairo in March 2012 and the Egyptian Foreign Minister visited India in December 2013.
Even during the Russia-Ukraine conflict which had threatened Egypt with a shortage of wheat, 80 per cent of which is imported from Russia and Ukraine.
On April 14, 2022, Egyptian Cabinet announced the inclusion of India in the list of accredited countries which can supply wheat to Egypt, thus ending a long pending Non-Tariff Barrier.
India cleared shipment of 61,500 metric tons of wheat to Egypt on May 17, 2022.
