CAIRO: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday started his maiden state go to to Egypt by holding discussions together with his Egyptian counterpart Mostafa Madbouly and prime Cabinet ministers on deepening commerce relations and additional strengthening the strategic partnership. Modi is visiting Egypt on the invitation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. This is the primary bilateral go to by an Indian Prime Minister to Egypt in 26 years.
Modi started his go to with discussions with Egyptian Prime Minister Madbouly and prime Cabinet ministers to deepen commerce relations and additional strengthen the strategic partnership. The Prime Minister additionally met the Grand Mufti of Egypt Dr Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam and interacted with the members of the Indian diaspora. He additionally met the members of the Indian diaspora and the Bohra neighborhood. The Prime Minister’s assembly with the Bohra neighborhood members comes forward of his go to on Sunday to Cairo’s historic Al-Hakim Mosque, restored with the assistance of India’s Dawoodi Bohra neighborhood. The Bohra neighborhood in India really originated from the Fatima dynasty they usually have renovated the mosque from the Nineteen Seventies onwards.
This is the primary bilateral go to by an Indian Prime Minister to Egypt in 26 years. Earlier, in a particular gesture, Modi was welcomed on the airport right here by Egypt’s Prime Minister with a heat 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 touchdown in Cairo.
Modi’s first official engagement was a gathering with the India Unit, a bunch of high-level ministers constituted by President El-Sisi in March to additional improve the connection with India. The two leaders had determined to raise the connection to the extent of strategic partnership throughout El-Sisi’s go to to India because the chief visitor on the Republic Day celebrations this 12 months.
Seven members of the Egyptian Cabinet, led by Madbouly, have been current on the assembly with Modi. Prime Minister Madbouly and his Cabinet colleagues outlined the actions that the India Unit has been enterprise, and proposed new areas of cooperation, the Ministry of External Affairs stated in an announcement. They appreciated the optimistic response from their Indian counterparts, and stay up for deepening India-Egypt bilateral relations in quite a few sectors, the assertion stated.
Prime Minister Modi appreciated the organising of the India Unit and welcomed this ?complete of the federal government strategy’ to take ahead bilateral relations with India. He additionally shared India’s readiness to work intently with Egypt in numerous areas of mutual curiosity. Discussions happened on methods to strengthen cooperation in areas like commerce and funding, renewable vitality, inexperienced hydrogen, IT, digital cost platforms, pharma and people-to-people ties, the assertion stated.
Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukry, Finance Minister Mohamed Maait and Minister of Industry and Trade Ahmed Samir have been among the many seven Egyptian Cabinet members current on the assembly. Modi will meet Egyptian President El-Sisi on Sunday. Earlier, the Indian diaspora, dressed up in conventional apparel, gathered in massive numbers on the Ritz Carlton Hotel right here to welcome Modi.
Waving the Indian tricolour, members of the Indian neighborhood welcomed the Prime Minister to chants of ‘Modi, Modi’ and ‘Vande Mataram’ when he reached the resort right here. An Egyptian lady, Jena, wearing a saree, greeted Modi with the favored music ‘Yeh Dosti Hum Nahi Chhodenge’ from the film ‘Sholay’. Impressed by the rendition of the Kishore Kumar-Manna Dey quantity, the Prime Minister expressed shock when Jena stated she knew little or no Hindi and had by no means visited India.
“Kisi ko pata bhi nahi chalega ki aap Misr ki beti ho ya Hindustan ki beti ho (Nobody will be able to tell whether you are a daughter of Egypt or a daughter of India),” Prime Minister Modi stated. He will go to the Heliopolis War Cemetery to pay respects to the Indian troops who gave their lives within the final act of valour for Egypt throughout World War-1.
This memorial was constructed by the Commonwealth, though it’s devoted to the three,799 Indian troops who misplaced their lives in numerous First World War conflicts in Egypt. El-Sisi can also be scheduled to journey to India in September for the G-20 Summit the place Egypt has been invited as a particular visitor.
