CAIRO: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off a two-day visit to Egypt on Saturday, a trip that underscores the growing ties between the two countries.
Modi’s flight landed at Cairo’s international airport Saturday afternoon, coming from a four-day trip to the US where he held talks with President Joe Biden, delivered a speech to the US Congress, and met with top American and Indian executives.
It’s the first state visit to Egypt by an Indian prime minister since 1997.
Modi was received by Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly, and the two inspected an honor guard and listened to the national anthems. Modi took to Twitter to thank Madboubly for “the special gesture of welcoming me at the airport,” and added, “May India-Egypt ties flourish and benefit the people of our nations.”
Modi is scheduled to hold talks with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Sunday. The two countries would also sign a set of memorandums aiming at solidifying their ties, according to India’s External Affairs Ministry.
Modi’s visit came six months after El-Sisi attended India’s Republic Day parade as an official guest.
In January, El-Sisi and Modi agreed on measures to increase the two-way trade in five years to $12 billion, up from $7.3 billion in 2021-22. During El-Sisi’s visit, the countries also signed agreements on expanding cooperation in cybersecurity, information technology, culture, and broadcasting.
India is one of the top five importers of Egyptian products, including crude oil and liquefied natural gas, salt, cotton, inorganic chemicals and oilseeds. Major Indian exports to Egypt include cotton yarn, coffee, herbs, tobacco, lentils, vehicle parts, ships, boats and electrical machinery.
More than 50 Indian companies have invested around $3.15 billion in various parts of the Egyptian economy, including chemicals, energy, textiles, garments, agri-business and retailing, according to India’s External Affairs Ministry.