Visiting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi has said India and Egypt must work towards greater cooperation on terrorism, even as he told External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj that he wished to take anti-terror cooperation to a “whole new level.”
“Egypt and India are stabilising forces in their regions,” President Al Sisi, who landed in Delhi on Thursday, said in exclusive comments to The Hindu .
“There is a mutual keenness to further enhance our cooperation in this important aspect of our bilateral relations, particularly in light of the emerging threats our respective regions are facing,” he added.
Different line
Mr. Al Sisi’s words are significant as Egypt has so far stood close to the line of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in criticising India for actions in Kashmir. In a briefing ahead of the visit, the External Affairs Ministry made it clear that the OIC statements would be raised in bilateral meetings with Mr. Al Sisi.
“They have to look at the [Kashmir] issue and understand that the OIC has no locus standi absolutely on Jammu and Kashmir…They take a public posture, but there is a slight gap in what they tell us privately. We would like them to say it in public and take a stand,” said Amar Singh, Secretary (Economic Relations), External Affairs Ministry.
Responding to questions from The Hindu about the nature of India-Egypt cooperation, Mr. Al Sisi offered support to Delhi at the U.N.’s committee on terror.
“One important forum for collaboration and coordination in this area [terrorism] at the multilateral level is the Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), of which Egypt is currently president,” Mr. Al Sisi said.
“We have undertaken many activities within the committee as well as the General Assembly in order to boost coordination among all countries against this common enemy that knows no religion or borders.”
While the CTC is not considered powerful as it works under the Security Council members, here too, Egypt’s cooperation would mark a major shift for India, which has struggled with having its concerns over Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed addressed.
Officials hope President Al Sisi’s own concerns with Jihadist elements in Egypt, and his government’s crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood, would make him more open to India’s stand on cross-border terrorism in Kashmir.
“In recent times, Egypt’s counter terror approach in practice has been like India’s, but its policy at the U.N. has remained the same on the need to define terrorism,” a senior Ministry official told The Hindu . As a result, Egypt has been among the OIC countries resisting India’s push to have a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism passed at the U.N.
On the issue of Syria, Mr. Al Sisi indicated a break from the OIC line, where countries such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar have called for the removal of President Bashar Al Assad first, rather than an outright war against Islamic State (IS). In a position closer to India’s, he said, “Egypt believes that it is crucial for any political settlement to preserve the countries’ unity, territorial integrity, national institutions and resources. In parallel, a comprehensive approach to fight Daesh [IS] and other terrorist organisations, which share the same ideology, needs to be adopted, as well as enhancing cooperation to cut off their sources of funding and armament.”
Numerous pacts lined up
Mr. Al Sisi will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday morning, when a number of agreements are expected to be signed on bilateral and trade cooperation. In particular, he is keen on attracting Indian investment into his $8.2-billion New Suez Canal project, which he called a “great opportunity” for India and Indian companies in Egypt.
Analysts pointed out that there were some similiarities between the styles of President Sisi, a former army chief who replaced previous President Morsi, and PM Modi. “They are both keen on improving their economies and infrastructure quickly. Therefore they both would like to prioritise economic ties and investment from each other,” said Professor P.R.Kumaraswamy.
Among other issues the two leaders, who will meet again at the G-20 summit in China this weekend, are expected to discuss, are the upcoming General Assembly session as well as the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Venezuela in September. While Prime Minister Modi has yet to accept the NAM invitation, India and Egypt are expected to attend the summit at the highest levels, as they are founder members of the organization.
“It is important to note that the countries of the Non-Aligned Movement represent nearly two-thirds of the United Nations' membership and comprise more than 55% of the world population,” said Mr. Sisi, adding, “This forms a significant voting bloc that the members of the Movement have to capitalize on, particularly when it comes to formulating common positions on issues of interest to developing countries.”
