Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty is scheduled to visit India this week for the first-ever bilateral strategic engagement between the countries. Abdelatty’s journey to India is his first since being appointed last year. The talks will cover a wide range of bilateral issues, including trade, security, and West Asian developments, according to sources on Monday.
The strategic dialogue with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is part of attempts to elevate Indo-Egyptian relations to a strategic partnership, as decided in 2023. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s visit to India last year as the Republic Day chief guest substantially boosted bilateral ties. During the visit, both parties set an ambitious objective of increasing trade volume from $7 billion to $12 billion in five years.
Aside from evaluating significant agreements reached during Sisi’s visit and PM Modi’s trip to Egypt in 2023, the ministers will address West Asian stability following the Israel-Hamas ceasefire accord.
Investment and commerce will be key issues, with Egypt establishing a special zone for Indian industry in the Suez Canal Economic Zone. Talks will also cover ICT, medicines, green hydrogen, higher education, and direct flights between Cairo and New Delhi.
