External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will visit Egypt on October 15 and 16, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Thursday. This will be the first bilateral visit of Mr. Jaishankar to Cairo and is being organised weeks after India included Egypt in the “Guest Country” list for the G-20 summit of 2023 which will be held here under India’s Presidency.
“During the visit, External Affairs Minister will discuss a range of bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest with Foreign Minister Mr. Sameh Shoukry. External Affairs Minister will interact with the Indian community based in Egypt, including students, and address a gathering of Egyptian and Indian business community,” stated an official press note.
Mr. Jaishankar had met Mr. Shoukry in New York on the sideline of the United Nations General Assembly in September. Both parties had planned to deepen cooperation in the field of defence, green hydrogen, ammonia and education sectors. Egypt has been a traditional partner of India starting with the days of the Non-Aligned Movement which has been compared to India’s recent neutrality over the most contentious international issues such as the Ukraine crisis.
The old diplomatic relation is being reborn as a strong green energy partnership for the future where the private players are expected to play a major role. Last July, India’s ReNew Power signed a preliminary agreement with the government of Egypt to invest $8 billion in a project that will produce green hydrogen. ReNew Power led by Sumant Sinha is backed by investors, including Goldman Sachs Group and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.
“External Affairs Minister’s visit to Egypt will provide an opportunity to review the entire gamut of our bilateral and multilateral relations and to exchange views with the Egyptian leadership covering whole range of issues of mutual interest. The visit provides an opportunity to deepen cooperation and explore new initiatives in the bilateral partnership,” said the Ministry of External Affairs.
