Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi arri𒅌ved in New Delhi on Tuesday for a three-day stꦑate visit focused on enhancing bilateral ties in a range of areas, including agriculture, digital domain and trade.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sis♊i will hold wide-ranging talks on W⛄ednesday.
Following the talks, the two sides are expected to ink half a dozꦚen agreeme𒐪nts to boost ties in a number of areas, people familiar with the matter said.
The 68-year-old influential Ara🌳b leader will grace the Republic Day celebrations on 𝓡January 26.
Sisi will be accompanied by a high-level delegation that will include five ministers 𓄧and senior officials.
The Egyptian president had visited India in October 2015 to participate in the third India-Africa Forum Summit whi👍ch was followed by his state visit in September 2016.
This is for the firs🃏t time that the President of Egypt ha✱s been invited as the chief guest to India's Republic Day celebrations. A military contingent from the Egyptian Army will also participate in the Republic Day parade.
Sisi will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday ahead of his talks with Modi. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar wil▨l also caℱll on Sisi.
"The forthcoming visit of President Sisi is expected tꦛo further strengthen and deepen the time-tested partnership between India and Egypt," the Miꦜnistry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Saturday.
India is keen to further expand ties with Egypt, a key player in the polit✃ics of both the Arab world as well as Afri🐷ca. It is also seen as a major gateway to markets in Africa and Europe.
The MEA said the multifaceted relationship between the two countries is based on shared cultural values,𒈔 commitment to foster economic growth, collaboration in the fields of defence and security and convergence on regional and global issues.
The bilateral trade betwe🌃en the two sides has been on an upswing in the la𓆉st few years.
The bilateral trade between India and Egypt achieved a "record high" of USD 7.26 billion in 2021-22, accordi♋ng to the MEA.
More than 50 Indian companies have invested around USD 3.15 billion in diverse sectors of the Egyptian economy, including chemicals, energy, textile, garment, agri-business and retail.
