Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who is the chief guest for the 74th Republic Day will arrive in New Delhi at around 6 pm on Tuesday. He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including five ministers and senior officials for his official visit from January 24-27. It is the first time that the President of Egypt has been invited as chief guest on India’s Republic Day.
On Wednesday, Sisi will be accorded a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. He is scheduled to meet President Droupadi Murmu, PM Narendra Modi, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar among others.
With Jaishankar he will hold a meeting at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, as per a media advisory released by the MEA.
On the same day, the Egyptian president will lay a wreath at the Rajghat, the memorial of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. He will hold a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest during his stay.
The same evening, President Droupadi Murmu will host a state banquet in honour of the visiting dignitary.
On Republic Day, Sisi will witness the Republic Day Parade as the chief guest. A military contingent of the Egyptian Army will march on the Rajpath along with other contingents.
Sisi will attend the “at home” reception by President Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhawan. He will also hold a meeting with Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. He will interact with the business community in India. Sisi will return to Cairo on January 27.
“This is for the first time that the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt has been invited as Chief Guest on our Republic Day. A military contingent from Egyptian Army will also participate in the Republic Day parade,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in an official statement on Monday.
The Ministry of External Affairs stated, “The forthcoming visit of President Sisi is expected to further strengthen and deepen the time-tested partnership between India and Egypt.”
Notably, India and Egypt are celebrating 75 years of establishment of diplomatic relations this year. India has also invited Egypt as a ‘guest country” during its G20 Presidency.
India and Egypt have “warm and friendly relations marked by civilizational, cultural and economic linkages and deep-rooted people-to-people ties”, as per the MEA statement.
The ties between the two nations are based on shared cultural values, commitment to strengthening economic growth, and cooperation in various sectors, including defence, security and convergence on regional and global issues.
The bilateral trade between India and Egypt reached USD 7.26 billion in the financial year 2021-22, according to an MEA statement. India’s exports to Egypt were worth USD 3.74 billion while Egypt’s imports to India were worth USD 3.52 billion. Over 50 Indian companies have invested around USD 3.15 billion in Egypt’s various sectors, including chemicals, energy, textile, garment, agri-business and retail.