India-Egypt: 75th Anniversary of Diplomatic Ties

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• Recently Egypt released a Postage Stamp celebrating the 75th Anniversary of diplomatic ties with India.

More about the news

• Diplomatic relations between Egypt and India were established with Egypt’s recognition of the independence of India on 18 August 1947, just three days after India’s independence.
  • Growing Egypt-India economic and commercial relations contribute to the stability and strength of a rapidly diversifying and deepening bilateral relationship. 

India-Egypt Relations

• History: 
  • Ancient times:
    • India’s relations with Egypt began when the trade contacts between the two ancient civilizations grew along the banks of the river Nile and the river Indus.
  • Under Nehru’s leadership:
    • In 1955, Egypt under Gamal Abdel Nasser and India under Jawaharlal Nehru became the founders of the Non-Aligned Movement. 
    • During the 1956 War, Nehru stood supporting Egypt to the point of threatening to withdraw his country from the British Commonwealth. 
• Friendship Treaty & bilateral relations:
  • The two nations became even closer in the 1950s and concluded a historic Friendship Treaty in 1955. 
    • During the last couple of years, the traditionally strong bilateral relations enjoyed by the two countries have received an impetus with regular exchange of high-level meetings and contacts between the two sides.
• Trade & Commerce:
  • Egypt has traditionally been one of India’s most important trading partners in the African continent.
  • The India-Egypt Bilateral Trade Agreement has been in operation since March 1978 and is based on the Most Favoured Nation clause.
  • Major Egyptian exports to India include:
    • Raw cotton, raw and manufactured fertilizers, oil and oil products, organic and non-organic chemicals, leather and iron products.
  • Major imports into Egypt from India are: 
    • Cotton yarn, sesame, coffee, herbs, tobacco and lentils.
    • Mineral fuel; vehicle parts; Ship, boat and floating structure; cuts of boneless bovine frozen meat; and Electrical machinery and parts are also exported from India. 
  • There is a significant Indian presence in almost every field in Egypt. 
• Technical and Scientific Cooperation:
  • Technical cooperation and assistance have been a major part of the bilateral relationship. 
    • Egyptian candidates visit India under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC).
  • In the field of Scientific Cooperation, ICAR and the Agricultural Research Center of the Ministry of Agriculture & Land of Egypt signed a MoU for cooperation in the field of agricultural research in 1998.
• Cultural Links:
  • The Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC) was set up in Cairo in 1992 
    • It aims to promote cultural cooperation between the two countries, through the implementation of the Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP). 
    • The Centre, in addition to popularizing Indian culture through Hindi, Urdu and Yoga classes and the screening of movies, also organizes cultural festivals.
  • ‘India by the Nile’ festival:
    • It is a cultural festival celebrated annually in Egypt. 
    • It brings the essence of India through classical, contemporary, performing and visual arts, food and popular culture in a language that amalgamates diverse cultural and artistic strands. 
    • The festival is produced by Delhi-based M/S Teamwork Arts and supported by ICCR and the Egyptian Ministry of Culture.
• The defence partnership:
  • It is being revived with among other developments the visit of the Indian Navy ship to Egypt, a month-long Air Force exercise and the visit of the Egyptian Air Force chief to India in recent months.

Source: ET