Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has been invited as the chief guest for the Republic Day celebrations this year.
What is the significance of a Republic Day invite?
Choosing the Chief Guest - The choice of chief guest is dictated by a number of reasons — strategic and diplomatic, business interests, and international geo-politics.
Another factor in the choice of the Chief Guest is the association with the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) which began in the late 1950s, early 1960s.
The first Chief Guest of the parade in 1950 was President Sukarno of Indonesia, one of the five founding members of the NAM.
Significance - Being invited as the chief guest at Republic Day celebrations is the highest honour a country accords in terms of protocol.
It is the ultimate sign of friendship between India and the country of the invitee.
This is the first time that an Egyptian President has been invited as chief guest for the event.
El-Sisi’s arrival in India as the Chief Guest invokes the history of NAM and the close relationship they have shared for 75 years.
What is the history of India-Egypt relations?
Historical - The history of contacts between India and Egypt, two of the world’s oldest civilisations, can be traced back to at least the time of Emperor Asoka.
In modern times, Mahatma Gandhi and the Egyptian revolutionary Saad Zaghloul shared common goals on independence from British colonial rule.
Geostrategic - Egypt, the most populous country in West Asia, occupies a crucial geo-strategic location — 12% of global trade passes through the Suez Canal.
It is a major market for India and can act as a gateway to both Europe and Africa.
It also has bilateral trade pacts with important West Asian and African nations.
Political - The joint announcement of the establishment of diplomatic relations at the Ambassadorial level was made in 1947.
India’s Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Egypt’s President Gamal Abdel Nasser signed the friendship treaty in 1955 and they were key to form the NAM in 1961.
High-level exchanges with Egypt continued after the 2011 Egyptian Revolution.
New Delhi views Egypt as a moderate Islamic voice, which has made an attempt to play a positive role in the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation(OIC).
Economic - The India-Egypt bilateral trade agreement has been in operation since 1978 and is based on the most-favoured nation clause.
The bilateral trade has increased more than five times in the past 10 years.
Agriculture will be a key area of cooperation as Egypt is facing a shortage of food grains due to Ukraine Russia war.
Other sectors – Egypt is keen to push for more tourism from India so that there is more forex inflow into their tourism-dependent economy.
A proposal for establishing an IIT in Egypt is in the works.
Egypt is interested in procuring defence equipment from India, which includes LCA Tejas, missiles like Akash, DRDO’s Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon, and radars.
Egypt has also been invited to participate in the Aero-India 2023 at Yelahanka Air Force Station, Bengaluru, next month.
Recently, India-Egypt bilateral relationship was elevated to a “Strategic Partnership” which will have broadly 4 elements.
Political, defence, and security
Economic engagement
Scientific and academic collaboration
Cultural and people-to-people contacts
Whatgeo-strategic concerns lie ahead?
However, China’s bilateral trade with Egypt is double that of India’s in 2021-22.
India should use this opportunity to forge a new path ahead, not just for their strategic and economic interests, but as the voice of the Global South.
Quick facts
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation(OIC)
The OIC is formerly the Organisation of the Islamic Conference.
It is the world’s second largest inter-governmental organisation after the UN, with a membership of 57 states.
Its stated objective is “to safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony among various people of the world”.
OIC has reserved membership for Muslim-majority countries.
Russia, Thailand, and a couple of other small countries have Observer status.
India is home to the world's third largest Muslim population, next only to Indonesia and Pakistan.
