‘Egypt, India have strong and close friendship through cultural exchange, trade’
Egyptian President Abdeh Fattah Al Sisi is in Delhi for talks, his second visit since he attended the India-Africa conference last October. In an e-mail interview to The Hindu’s Diplomatic Editor Suhasini Haidar, he speaks of cooperating with India on regional challenges from terror, indicating a shift from the critical line adopted by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
What is the importance of this, your second visit in a year to India?
It is both a great pleasure and honor to be in India for the second time in almost a year; this time at the kind invitation extended by His Excellency President Shri Pranab Mukherjee. I am confident that this visit will give impetus to the already outstanding relations that our countries share at the political, economic, cultural and social levels. It is also an excellent opportunity to share views with Indian officials on a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern as well as to discuss ways of boosting cooperation and coordination at the bilateral, regional and international levels.
Historically, Egypt and India have been bound by a strong and close friendship that extended to different realms through cultural exchange and trade. The struggle of our nations for freedom and independence in the 20th century has strengthened bilateral relations even further to realize common goals for our peoples.
Today, there is a great potential for increasing cooperation between Egypt and India across a number of vital domains. Politically, we share a common understanding on many issues and seek to closely coordinate efforts at regional and international fora to address them. Economically, bilateral trade has significantly increased by 60% in the past 5 years in spite of a global economic slowdown and regional instability. Investments continue to increase in a number of fields with 50 Indian companies operating in Egypt and we look forward to expand their investments. Egyptian investors too are interested to expand their business in India.
Cultural exchange is another vital aspect of our excellent bilateral relations. The “India by the Nile” festival has been a major success where Egyptians could experience different aspects of the Indian culture and many have developed a great passion for exploring India in person. I am hopeful that the first edition of the “Egypt by the Ganga” will offer Indians a similarly exciting experience and stimulate their interest in knowing more about the Egyptian culture. This will promote the flow of tourists from both sides.
What are the areas India and Egypt can cooperate on most closely on the economic sphere, and what are the opportunities for India in the New Suez Canal project?
Egypt has embarked on a series of ambitious projects to improve its infrastructure as well as economic and administrative reforms to attract foreign investors. There are many opportunities that both, Egypt and India, can capitalize on to boost cooperation in the fields of agriculture, economy, trade, industry, education, health, culture, tourism as well as science and technology. We want to exchange experience in areas where each country has extensive knowledge. Egypt is particularly interested in benefiting from India’s experience in developing the SMEs and IT sectors. These are two important and attractive sectors, which we are looking to further expand and promote.
The new Suez Canal project is a major addition that will significantly enhance mutual, regional and international economic cooperation. It is only a part of a more comprehensive and ambitious plan that envisages the establishment of the Suez Canal Development Area to take advantage of this strategic location that connects Africa and Asia through launching special economic zones and establishing a large-scale industrial area. The objective is to transform the Suez Canal area into a global investment corridor and an international logistics hub. This is a great opportunity for Indian investors to benefit from the many advantages that the Egyptian market has to offer as well as the preferential access to Arab, African and European markets, given the free trade agreements Egypt has concluded with these markets.
Egypt and India are stabilizing forces in their regions. The two countries enjoy a very close partnership in various areas, including defense. They are bound by an agreement on combating international terrorism and trans-national and organized Crime signed in 1995. Egypt and India have set up their Joint Defense Cooperation in 2006, which has held six meetings so far. 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. One important forum for collaboration and coordination in this area at the multilateral level is the Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee, which Egypt currently presides. 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.
In your region, what is the way to fight ISIS (Daesh), and resolve the situation in Libya and Yemen where civilians are paying a heavy price?
We have witnessed the significant human suffering caused by the ongoing conflicts and crises in countries such as Syria, Libya and Yemen. We have also observed how these crises destabilized the whole region and provided a fertile ground for terrorist organizations to proliferate their extremist and radical doctrines and recruit new members. Therefore, it is vital for the international community to shoulder its responsibility and double its efforts in order to reach political solutions to end these conflicts as soon as possible and stop the plight of civilians. Egypt also 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 (ISIS) and other terrorist organizations, which share the same ideology, needs to be adopted, as well as enhancing cooperation to cut off their sources of funding and armament. Time is of essence and as long as the fighting goes on and peace is delayed, the threat of terrorism will remain.
You have recently made a statement on Russian President Putin’s offer to mediate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, please tell us more about that given that Egypt’s ties with Israel have also improved..
I believe that there is a real chance for a just and comprehensive peace between the Palestinians and Israelis despite the current regional challenges. This would provide a new reality in the region and contribute to its much needed stability. Egypt has always confirmed that the establishment of an independent Palestinian state will eliminate the feelings of despair and disappointment and realize security and stability for the two sides. We intend to continue our efforts aimed at reaching a solution for this issue, and we support in this regard all the other international efforts that seek to find a solution to the conflict, such as the Arab and French peace initiatives as well as American and Russian efforts.
In a unipolar world, are multilateral forums like the Non Aligned Meet next month in Venezuela even relevant?
Egypt accords great importance to multilateral forums that comprise developing countries, such as NAM and the G77 in light of their contributions to south –south cooperation.
We believe that the founding principles of NAM, which Egypt and India contributed to its foundation, are still relevant to today’s world bearing in mind the ongoing threats and challenges that face the sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of a large number of non-aligned countries. Nevertheless, we are convinced that the Movement needs to reinvigorate its interest in addressing new global challenges, particularly, in the economic, social and cultural areas. 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. 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.
