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Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande leaves for Egypt to boost defence ties
During the two-day visit on May 16-17, the army chief will meet Egypt’s senior military leadership and discuss avenues for further enhancing bilateral defence relations
Army Chief General Manoj Pande on Monday left for Egypt for a two-day official visit aimed at bolstering defence ties between the two countries, the army said in a statement.
During the two-day visit on May 16-17, the army chief will meet Egypt’s senior military leadership and discuss avenues for further enhancing bilateral defence relations, it said.
He will interact with the commander-in-chief of Egyptian armed forces, minister of defence and military production, and chief of staff, Egyptian armed forces; and visit various Egyptian military establishments.
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“The military relations of India with Egypt are on the rise which was evident during India’s 74th Republic Day parade, wherein the Egyptian armed forces contingent made its first appearance, besides the Egyptian President Abdeh Fattah El-Sisi being the chief guest for the parade,” the statement said.
It added that the Indian and Egyptian Armies conducted the first ever joint exercise between the Special Forces, Ex Cyclone-I, in January.
Sisi was the first Egyptian leader to be hosted by India for Republic Day.
He also held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on ways to revitalise the bilateral relationship.
A joint statement issued then reflected the importance attached by both leaders to enhancing cooperation in defence, security and counter-terrorism.
PM Modi and Sisi agreed that terrorism posed “one of the most serious security threats to humanity” and condemned the use of terror as a foreign policy tool.
During that visit, Egypt offered to allocate land for Indian industries at the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) to be developed under an Indian master plan, as part of plans to ramp up bilateral trade and investment.
SCZone consists of six ports and four industrial zones located along the Suez Canal, and Egypt plans to build new cargo terminals at two ports and upgrade the four other ports.
Almost 18,000 ships a year, or 10% of world trade, pass through the canal.
The Grand Mufti of Egypt, Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam, was in India earlier this month at the invitation of a think tank under the ministry of external affairs to deepen cultural links between the two sides and for meetings with Indian interlocutors to foster interfaith understanding.
