India, Egypt work to strengthen diplomatic relations

New Delhi, India: The conversation, held on Tuesday, between Egyptian Lt General Osama Ahmed Roshdy Abdullah Askar and Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande focused on ways to improve bilateral defence cooperation between Egypt and India.

A book called “Indian Army in Egypt” was also published during the event to honour the service and sacrifice of Indian soldiers in Egypt.

The commander of the Indian Army also spoke with Lt Gen Ahmed F Khalifa, the Egyptian Chief of Operations.

Manoj Pande is in Egypt for a three-day visit to advance the two nations’ defence cooperation and fortify ties in areas of shared concern.

“The head of the Indian Army, Gen Manoj Pande, has travelled to Egypt for three days. According to ADG-PI’s tweet, the visit will present a chance to improve bilateral defence cooperation and fortify collaboration in areas of shared interest.

Egypt and India have friendly defence ties. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the President of Egypt, was asked to attend India’s 74th Republic Day celebrations as the chief guest to reaffirm the close ties between the two nations.

The MEA stated that the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt was being invited as the chief guest for the first time on the day we celebrate our Republic. At the Republic Day parade, there will also be a military contingent from the Egyptian Army.

The year 2023 marked the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Egypt.

India and Egypt have cordial relations that are characterised by shared economic, cultural, and civilisational ties as well as strong people-to-people contacts. The complex relationship is founded on similar cultural ideals, a desire to promote economic development, cooperation in the domains of defence and security, as well as agreement on local and international concerns. At bilateral and multilateral fora, the two nations collaborate closely.

Joint Defence Committee (JDC) operations control a large portion of the existing defence cooperation between Egypt and India. Depending on the location, JDC sessions have been followed by exchange events. Additionally, a number of programmes, drills, ship and aircraft transits, as well as defence expos, support India and Egypt’s defence cooperation.