PM Modi Meets Key Egyptian Officials To Talk About Trade Relations

PM Modi in Egypt

As part of his first official visit to Egypt, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with his Egyptian counterpart Mostafa Madbouly and senior Cabinet members on Saturday to discuss strengthening the strategic alliance and boosting business ties.

Modi is in Egypt at the president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s invitation. It has been 26 years since a prime minister from India last made a bilateral trip to Egypt. Modi spoke with Madbouly and other senior Egyptian cabinet members at their initial meeting to discuss ways to strengthen their strategic alliance and increase trade ties.

The Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr. Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam, and members of the Indian diaspora were also discussed by the Prime Minister.He also got to know people from the Bohra community and the Indian diaspora.

The Prime Minister’s meeting with the Bohra community members comes ahead of his visit on Sunday to Cairo’s historic Al-Hakim Mosque, restored with the help of India’s Dawoodi Bohra community. The Bohra community in India actually originated from the Fatima dynasty and they have renovated the mosque from the 1970s onwards.

This is the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Egypt in 26 years. Earlier, in a special gesture, Modi was welcomed at the airport here by Egypt’s Prime Minister with a warm embrace, accorded a ceremonial welcome and a Guard of Honour.

“I am confident this visit will strengthen India’s ties with Egypt. I look forward to talks with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and attending other programmes,” Prime Minister Modi tweeted after landing in Cairo.

Modi’s first official engagement was a meeting with the India Unit, a group of high-level ministers constituted by President El-Sisi in March to further enhance the relationship with India. The two leaders had decided to elevate the relationship to the level of strategic partnership during El-Sisi’s visit to India as the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations this year.

Discussions focused on deepening cooperation across a range of areas including trade & investment, renewable energy, green hydrogen, IT, digital payment platforms, pharma and people to people ties, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said on Twitter.

Modi will meet Egyptian President El-Sisi on Sunday. Earlier, the Indian diaspora, dressed up in traditional attire, gathered in large numbers at the Ritz Carlton Hotel here to welcome Modi. Waving the Indian tricolour, members of the Indian community welcomed the Prime Minister to chants of ‘Modi, Modi’ and ‘Vande Mataram’ when he reached the hotel here.

An Egyptian woman, Jena, dressed in a saree, greeted Modi with the popular song ‘Yeh Dosti Hum Nahi Chhodenge’ from the movie ‘Sholay’. Impressed by the rendition of the Kishore Kumar-Manna Dey number, the Prime Minister expressed surprise when Jena said she knew very little Hindi and had never visited India.

Nobody will be able to distinguish whether you are an Indian or an Egyptian descendant, Prime Minister Modi remarked, “Kisi ko pata bhi nahi chalega ki aap Misr ki beti ho ya Hindustan ki beti ho.” To show his appreciation for the Indian soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the ultimate act of heroism for Egypt during World War One, he would go to the Heliopolis War Cemetery.

Although it is dedicated to the 3,799 Indian soldiers who died in various First World War battles in Egypt, this memorial was constructed by the Commonwealth. El-Sisi will also visit India in September in connection with the G-20 Summit, to which Egypt has been invited as a special guest.

(This story has not been edited by Bharat Express staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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