Prime Minister Narendra Modi being conferred with the highest state honour of Egypt ‘Order of the Nile’ award by the Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, at President House in Cairo on June 25, 2023.
Cairo: President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi conferred Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the ‘Order of the Nile’, the highest civilian award of Egypt, in a special ceremony at the Presidency in Cairo today. Modi is the first Indian to receive the award and he thanked President Sisi for the honour on behalf of the people of India.
During their meeting, the two leaders discussed ways to further deepen the partnership between the two countries, particularly in areas like trade and investment, information technology, defence and security, renewable energy, agriculture, health, culture and people-to-people ties. They also discussed further cooperation in G-20, highlighting the issues of food and energy insecurity, climate change and the need for the Global South to have a concerted voice. Prime Minister looked forward to welcoming President Sisi in New Delhi in September 2023 for the G20 Leaders Summit.
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 and Antiquities and Competition Law were also signed.
They agreed that the newly established ‘India Unit’ in Egyptian Cabinet was a useful tool in steering bilateral collaborations.
Yesterday, shortly after arriving in Cairo on a State Visit from Washington, Modi held a meeting with the “India Unit” in the Egyptian Cabinet, which was set up earlier this year following the State Visit El-Sisi, to India as Chief Guest for Republic Day 2023. The India Unit is headed by the Prime Minister of Egypt Mustafa Madbouly, and comprises a number of Ministers and senior officials. Modi appreciated the setting up of the India Unit and welcomed this ‘whole of the government approach’ to take forward bilateral relations with India, and shared India’s readiness to work closely with Egypt in various areas of mutual interest.
He also met the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr Shawky Ibrahim Allam, who recalled his recent visit to India, and highlighted the strong cultural and people-to-people relations between India and Egypt. The Grand Mufti also appreciated the Prime Minister’s leadership in fostering inclusivity and pluralism. Discussions also focused on issues related to social and religious harmony in society and countering extremism and radicalization. Modi told him that India would set up a Centre of Excellence in IT at the Dar-al-Ifta under the Ministry of Social Justice of Egypt.
Modi also interacted with over 300 members of the Indian diaspora, comprising students, professionals, and businesspersons, and lauded their contribution towards strengthening India-Egypt ties.
– global bihari bureau
