In a meeting with Egypt's Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, on Saturday, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that "as states active in shaping global debates, discussed developments in our regions and exchanged views on Ukraine conflict and Indo-Pacific. A polarized world needs independent thinking and voices of reason."
He is on a two-day visit to Egypt from today.
The EAM reflected the two countries' deep ties as they celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations this year.
"Recognized our exchanges in defence and security; capacity building; economic and commercial domains, including in IT, energy, pharma & health, agriculture, infrastructure, chemical, cyber security, and SMEs," the minister wrote on Twitter.
Jaishankar stated that "after COVID-19 outbreak, health is an important concern for all of us. We have an excellent history of vaccine collaboration & we believe that greater collaboration in drugs & pharmaceuticals will be mutually beneficial. Many of our companies do see Egypt as a production hub," news agency ANI reported.
The two nations will be exploring opportunities in new and renewable energy; trade and investment, education, tourism and connectivity, Jaishankar said.
"We discussed how to increase air connectivity & grow tourism. One of our universities reached an understanding with an Egyptian enterprise to establish a tertiary education institution here.Our tech institutes looking for int'l collaboration will find Egypt a suitable partner," EAM stated, ANI reported.
Jaishankar stated that, "Last year was our highest-ever trade in excess of $7.2 billion. Today we reviewed that and agreed that there are possibilities for more growth. Investments have also been very positive. Indian companies today have a reported investment of more than $3 billion."
The cooperation between the two countries in multilateral forums remains robust, Jaishankar noted.
"In recent times India & Egypt have also stepped up defence & security cooperation. We did important exercises between our Air Force and had regular ship visits to Egypt. There were discussions on how we can work closely in Defence production," Jaishankar added.
The EAM also expressed India's support for Egypt's presidency of the COP27. The EAM welcomed Egypt's participation in the G20 next year, as well as in the BRICS New Development Bank and the SCO.
EAM S Jaishankar Interacts With Indian Community In Cairo:
Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday inteacted with the Indian Community in Cairo, Egypt. He stated that, "There was a particular interest in Egypt about getting one of our IITs (Indian Institute of Technology) to setup a collaborative enterprise here. I will discuss this with our Education Minister in India," news agency ANI reported.
EAM emphasised the importance of the two countries' relationship, saying, "One of the interesting developments in our trade relations is that Egypt has begun importing wheat from India. The good thing about Egypt is that trade has been fairly balanced on both sides," ANI reported.
(With Inputs From ANI)