The 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Egypt
August 26, 2022
Egypt issued a stamp to mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations with India. Egypt's recognition of India's independence on August 18, 1947, three days after India's independence, marked the start of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The two countries grew closer in the 1950s, culminating in a historic friendship treaty in 1955.
India-Egypt Trade on two sides
Egypt is one of the region's most important investment destinations for India, with a current Indian investment of USD 3.15 billion. Furthermore, 50 Indian companies operate in Egypt, investing a total of $3.15 billion and employing 38,000 people. They work in the apparel, agriculture, chemical, energy, automotive, and retail industries.
In FY 2021-22, India-Egypt bilateral trade reached a historic high of USD 7.26 billion, a 75% increase over FY 2020-21. The 5th India-Egypt Joint Business Council meeting is currently underway, and both sides have set an annual bilateral trade target of USD 12 billion to be achieved within the next five years.
India and Egypt's Defense Partnership
In the 1960s, defence cooperation between Egypt and India was at its height. The partnership has increased since then. The Indian Air Force trains Egyptian pilots, which is one of the positive aspects of defence relations between India and Egypt.
Together, India and Egypt produced the Helan-300 jet fighter.
The Indian Air Chief went to Egypt in 1998. This greatly encouraged the improvement of cooperation. During this tour, the concept of the Joint Defence Committee was developed. The Indo-Egypt Joint Defence Committee was founded afterwards, in 2006. The group has held six meetings since then. Delhi hosted the sixth gathering in 2016. Several defense-related agreements were finalised at the summit.
Military delegations from the opposing parties travel to their respective nations to exchange professional expertise and to conduct joint training.
For collaborative training, Indian Air Force and Naval Ships also frequently travel to Egypt.
Exercise Desert Warrior is a bilateral military exercise organised by Egypt and India. The goal of the exercise was to improve communication between the Egyptian and Indian air forces.
