Egypt’s FM, Indian counterpart discuss bilateral ties, regional and international issues

CAIRO – 2 March 2023: On the 1st session of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting (G20FMM) in New Delhi on Friday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

“The two ministers affirmed their appreciation for the continuous growth of Egyptian-Indian relations on various political and economic levels, in a way that serves the interests of the two friendly countries,” said Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid in a statement on Friday.

Shoukry voiced Egypt's confidence in the Indian active presidency of the G20 that contributes to containing the negative repercussions of international tensions on the global economy, stressing Egypt’s full readiness to cooperate with the Indian presidency to push the talks in a constructive direction to deal with energy crises, climate change, food shortages, and the accumulation of debt owed by developing countries, Abu Zeid continued.

The Foreign Minister also welcomed the continuous development of trade relations between the two countries, stressing the need to increase the volume of trade exchange during the next five years through investments, Abu Zeid noting, saying that Shoukry said that “Egypt is looking forward to the growth of Indian investments in Egypt in the near term in light of the interest we see from Indian companies and government support.”

Jaishankar said praised Egyptian-Indian relations, noting that there are directives from the Indian Prime Minister to continue advancing bilateral relations between the two countries at various levels.

The two ministers also exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues of common concern, including the Russian-Ukrainian crisis and the food and climate change crises.

On 24 January 2023, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi visited India, expressing his happiness to be there on the occasion of the 73rd anniversary of the Indian Republic Day marking January 26 as a main guest.

Replying to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweet, Sisi said: ‘I’m very happy and proud to visit India and participate in the Republic Day celebrations as a main guest, which makes us more determined to continue strengthening bilateral relations and the distinguished coordination between us... I look forward to fruitful meetings and discussions with my dear friend Modi’.