Editorial: Squaring the circle at the India-Egypt summit
There are serious issues too: Egyptian economy is in a crisis, with a static economy, high inflation and huge foreign debt. With this backdrop in mind, India needs to tread carefully while on its role as a reliable partner for Egypt.
Editorial: Squaring the circle at the India-Egypt summit
Historically, India-Egypt ties are perhaps the oldest civilizational link. In 2750 BCE, the Pharaoh Sahure sent ships to the "Land of Punt", which historians identify with peninsular India. By the middle of the second millennium BCE, Egyptian mummies were wrapped in muslin dyed with indigo, both from India. It is this historic inspiration that needs to be invoked while aiming for greater bilateral substantially. While the past century of contacts– from decolonisation to non-alignment and connection over music and Bollywood– produced plenty of goodwill, it delivered little of substance. Nearly a third of India's trade with the most populous Arab country in 2022-23 was petroleum related. India was Egypt's sixth largest trading partner, while Egypt was India's 38th. There are less than 5000 Indians in Egypt, nearly a fifth being students. The underperformance of bilateral ties is not due to a lack of institutional mechanisms, but their efficacy and sense of purpose. This is a ripe time to look at what can be done to better this relationship, ahead of the Cairo Summit. Egypt is a large country and is politically stable. Its largest imports are refined petroleum, wheat, cars, corn and pharmaceuticals– all of which India has the potential to supply. Moreover, Egypt has an ambitious infrastructure development agenda, including a New Cairo, a nuclear power plant and a high-speed rail network. These present opportunities for India. However, there are serious issues too: Egyptian economy is in a crisis, with a static economy, high inflation and huge foreign debt. With this backdrop in mind, India needs to tread carefully while on its role as a reliable partner for Egypt