EAM Jaishankar holds dialogue with Egypt foreign minister on UNGA eve

On the sidelines of the 78th UNGA session in New York, Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukry and Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met here on Saturday.

In the presence of representatives from both sides, Jaishankar and the Egyptian Foreign Minister shook hands and then had a brief bilateral meeting.

The minister of external affairs had a full day of meetings with counterparts from other nations earlier on Friday, just outside the 78th UNGA.

According to a formal announcement by the Ministry of External Affairs, Jaishankar will speak at the 78th UNGA on September 26.

Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the president of Egypt, arrived in New Delhi earlier this month for the G20 conference. A sizable contingent of world leaders and delegates from international organisations participated in the summit, which took place over two days on September 9 and 10 at the cutting-edge Bharat Mandapam.

On the invitation of Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the Egyptian president, PM Modi travelled to Egypt earlier in June. The Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly welcomed the Prime Minister ceremoniously upon his arrival in Cairo.

President El-Sisi’s attendance as the Chief Guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations earlier this year prompted PM Modi to pay a reciprocal visit to Egypt. El-Sisi’s visit was quite successful, as it resulted in an agreement between the two countries to raise bilateral relations to the status of a strategic partnership.

Egypt has historically been one of India’s most significant commercial partners on the continent of Africa, thus PM Modi’s visit—the first by an Indian PM since 1997—was noteworthy. According to the Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS), the India-Egypt Bilateral Trade Agreement has been in effect since March 1978 and is based on the Most Favoured Nation clause.

Between April and December 2022, Egypt’s top five trading partners were all from India. It was the 5th-largest exporter to Egypt at the same time that it was the 11th-largest purchaser of Egyptian commodities.

The two nations have a strong political bond that is based on years of communication and collaboration on bilateral, regional, and international issues.

(With agency inputs)