It is clear that India and Egypt have a long-standing relationship. Trade aside, the cultural connection between the two countries has always been strong. However, it seems that current generations have little knowledge of these relations, and how their respective intellectuals, artists, and other significant figures interacted with one another. There are a few scholars from Egypt who have documented some of these exchanges, yet unfortunately, researchers in India have not tried to investigate and publish their discoveries on their country’s historical relations with Egypt. More than a century ago, the renowned Indian poet and philosopher Rabindranath Tagore paid two visits to Egypt and developed a close relationship with renowned Egyptian poet, thinker, and scholar Ahmed Shawqi. Upon the sad news of the death of Indian warrior Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Shawqi expressed his sorrow in a long poem, preserving it as a timeless piece of literature. In the 1960s, Egyptian singer Abdel Halim Hafez visited India, followed in the seventies by celebrated artist Nour Al-Sharif and his wife, actress Poussi. Highly revered journalist Mohamed Hassanein Heikal also visited India and engaged in discussions with university students and lectured at the Press Club. This doesn’t include the immense contribution of many Egyptian elites, including author Aisha Abd al-Rahman and poet Salah Abdel Sabour, who recited their work for audiences across India. Relations between India and Egypt have been bound by deep, longstanding ties. But these connections were nearly crippled by the Cold War as the two countries found themselves in opposing camps. Then-President Hosni Mubarak revitalized the link between the two nations when he was awarded the Nehru Prize in 2008. Since then, the relationship has been on the rise. Last week, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Egypt, marking the first official visit of an Indian leader since 1997. Modi’s trip highlighted the commitment between the two countries to further their cooperation. This swift reciprocal visit within six months speaks to the strengthening of relations and the desire to further collaboration between the two nations. There is no doubt that close relations between India and Egypt are of immense importance to both countries. Egypt is a major player in West Asia and North Africa, connecting 12% of the world’s trade through the Suez Canal. Both countries are now set to further strengthen their bond, with visible political exchanges at the ministerial level, including visits by India’s defense and foreign ministers in September and October of last year. Modi’s visit underscores how the two countries are standing together in times of global agitation coupled with economic and political uncertainty. Following his visit, an agreement to raise ties to the level of a strategic partnership was signed by Modi and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. India and Egypt have further solidified their partnership by finalizing a strategic agreement and a memorandum of understanding. Modi and el-Sisi discussed bilateral relations and expressed their commitment to deepening ties across economic, trade, and defense realms. The memorandum covers the areas of agriculture, antiquities, and competition law, while joint air force exercises, dubbed “Desert Warrior” will take place this upcoming year. In 2023, India and Egypt will carry out a two-week joint exercise called “Hurricane 1” which demonstrates the two countries’ bilateral defense cooperation. Additionally, talks are underway to enable India to export Indian-made combat aircraft to Egypt, to strengthen their defense alliance and promote domestic manufacturing. Furthermore, Egypt’s gracious gesture of sending India 300,000 doses of the Remdesivir vaccine in 2021, while assisting India during the Covid-19 pandemic, symbolizes the longstanding friendship between the two nations. In 2022, India sent shipments of wheat to Egypt as a response to the disruption of Ukraine’s imports resulting from the war. Modi’s visit to Egypt comes as India is being touted as an emerging economic force, with rapid growth predicted while other regions of the world face stagnation. This was highlighted by Egypt’s formation of the ‘India Unity’ unit within the cabinet, which India has described as “a useful tool in guiding bilateral cooperation” between the two countries. No doubt, Modi’s visit has opened the door to stronger cooperation between India and Egypt. Modi himself expressed it well: “This is a historic visit that will invigorate India-Egypt relations and prove to be beneficial to both of our nations in the long run.” —Zikru Al-Rahman (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)
This holiday season, give to:
Truth and understanding
The Media Line's intrepid correspondents are in Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Pakistan providing first-person reporting.
They all said they cover it.
We see it.
We report with just one agenda: the truth.
