At the invitation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s maiden official state visit to Egypt last week – the first for an Indian Prime Minister in 26 years has brought both countries closer with multi-faceted deals to boost bilateral ties to a new height. More importantly, PM Modi's two-day Egypt tour on June 24-25 took place at a historic juncture as the two countries are celebrating 75 years of establishment of diplomatic relations this year. It is worth noting that Modi's Egypt visit came on the heels of President El-Sisi’s visit to India as the Chief Guest at the 74th Republic Day celebrations on January 26 in New Delhi this year, indicating that Egypt is a reliable ally of India in the Arab world. 

Given the current context of international polarization, diplomatic circles of both countries opined that Modi's visit to Egypt was a “game changer” in bilateral relations between the two countries. Explaining the importance of Modi's visit to the 'Pyramid Country', India's ambassador to Egypt, Ajit Gupte told news agency PTI in an interview on June 24: “PM Modi's historic visit to Egypt strengthens bilateral ties and ignites a new era of collaboration between the two nations.”

The outline of how the relationship between the two countries will be strengthened in the coming days is evidenced in the tweet of PM Modi: “My visit to Egypt was a historic one. It will add renewed vigor to India-Egypt relations and will benefit the people of our nations. I thank President @AlsisiOfficial, the Government, and the people of Egypt for their affection.” 

It cannot be denied that Modi's visit to Egypt just six months after El-Sisi's visit to India sends a deep signal that the Modi-led Indian government considers Egypt as its trusted friend and reliable strategic ally in the African continent and wants to build common ground and expand it into new areas of trade and economic engagement with the El-Sisi government. 

However, some geopolitical calculations have functioned behind Modi's recent visit to Egypt. Since the launch of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013, the Modi government has been concerned about China's growing political and economic influence in the Arab world as well as in Africa under BRI projects. More importantly, India has some limitations in securing large amounts of capital besides importing energy from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. As such, India is looking to strengthen ties with its old friend Egypt whose leader Sisi has good relations with Gulf countries and Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) platforms, in particular, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia as well as the United States also. Therefore, Modi's visit to Egypt is an attempt to further develop diplomatic relations with the most important North African country that will benefit the people of both countries. 

On the other hand, the El-Sisi-led Egyptian government which is in the grip of its worst inflation in recent years, also expressed its desire for long-term good relations and more commercial exchanges with India. India has come forward as a savior in Egypt's economic crisis. It is worth noting that Indian investments in Egypt reached $33.1 million in the first half of the fiscal year 2022-2023, as Egypt’s Central Agency for Public Mobilizations and Statistics (CAPMAS) reported. In May last year when Egypt’s food crisis deepened due to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, India sent a consignment of 61,000 tons of wheat to Egypt at subsidized cost.  

From this point of view, it can be definitely said that the reciprocal visits of the two top leaders of India and Egypt has strengthened the bilateral relations and led to regional realignments. Despite being a Muslim country, Egypt has always supported India’s Pakistan policy and opposed the so-called “cross-border terrorism”. India strongly wants Egypt to join the BRICS grouping which comprises the world's five major economies, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa as part of its geopolitical strategy to fend off China's influence in the influential five-member bloc.

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During his two-day stay in Cairo on June 24, PM Modi held a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, and discussed deepening trade relations and further strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries.

On June 25, during their meeting at Al-Itihadiyah Presidential Palace, both El Sisi and Modi gave a message of deepening friendship between the two countries. The two leaders signed a joint declaration to elevate relations to “the level of strategic partnership” covering political, security, defence, energy and economic aspects. Egypt is the first country in the Arab world with which India has entered into such a close strategic partnership. 

According to media reports, during the bilateral meeting, many agreements and MoUs on political and security cooperation, commercial, economic, information technology, agriculture, trade promotion and culture were signed. There is no doubt that these MoUs and agreements will lead to the relationship between the two countries to a whole new horizon.

Many Indian economists believe that India will benefit from good diplomatic relations with Egypt as it is rich in natural resources. Moreover, Egypt has a unique geostrategic location on the Red Sea, the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal. The North African nation is therefore an integral part of India's Indo-Pacific strategy as well as India's strategy towards Africa. 500,000 barrels of crude oil are transported to India every day through the Suez Canal. Recently, a delegation from the Egyptian General Authority for the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCEZONE) visited the Indian cities of New Delhi and Mumbai in order to attract Indian investments in various sectors of Egypt's Suez Canal Economic Zone. Needless to say, the SCEZONE will be a blessing for “Made by India for the World” programme. 

In addition to close defence ties, trade has forged strong ties between India and Egypt in recent years. It should be recalled here that during his visit to India in January, President Sisi and PM Modi announced that they would double bilateral trade from its current level to $12 billion within the next five years. In 2022, the bilateral trade reached US$ 7.265 billion for the first time, which is about 13.7 percent more than the previous year, according to the statement of the Indian Embassy in Cairo.

Apart from dialogues on defense, security, and new energy initiatives with the Egyptian leaders, in his brief stay in Cairo, PM Modi visited the Giza pyramids, the historic 11th-century Al-Hakim Mosque and the Heliopolis War Grave Cemetery.

Modi was honored with Egypt's highest honor 'Order of the Nile' by President El-Sisi on June 25. Modi thanked the Egyptian government in a tweet by stating that “It indicates the warmth and affection they have towards India and the people of our nation.” Notably, Modi invited El-Sisi to attend the G-20 summit to be held in New Delhi in September 2023 under India’s presidency which clearly demonstrates that India is willing to pursue a strategically important relationship with Egypt.

It is clear that the relationship between India and Egypt has improved tremendously in the last eight years. With growing diplomatic, economic, and technological advancements and security collaboration between the two countries, Modi’s maiden state visit has given both countries a unique opportunity to take forward their ties in all aspects.