First Round of the Egypt–India Strategic Dialogue Convenes: Agreement to Strengthen Partnership and Address Common Challenges

The first round of the Egypt-India Strategic Dialogue was held yesterday, Thursday, in New Delhi, co-chaired by Dr. Badr Abdel Aty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration, and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs, and Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Indian Minister of External Affairs.

Ambassador Tamim Khallaf, Spokesperson for the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that the convening of the first round of the strategic dialogue reflects the rapid development in bilateral relations between the two countries and the shared desire to develop the strategic partnership, which was launched during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Egypt in June 2023. It also affirms Egypt and India's commitment to enhancing joint cooperation and ensuring the implementation of the memoranda of understanding reached in various fields to achieve mutual interests.

The two ministers welcomed the development of bilateral relations between Egypt and India over the past years, particularly in light of the mutual understanding and coordination between the leaderships of the two countries, especially as the two countries celebrate this year the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Egyptian-Indian Friendship Treaty. They expressed their aspiration for further development of bilateral cooperation in various fields to serve the interests of the two friendly peoples.

The strategic dialogue round reviewed ways to enhance economic, trade, and investment cooperation, support cooperation in the fields of technology and innovation, and strengthen defense partnerships, particularly in the areas of joint training and defense industries, security cooperation in the field of counterterrorism and information exchange. They also exchanged views on regional and international political issues of mutual interest and ways to enhance South-South cooperation.

The Egyptian Foreign Minister expressed his aspiration to hold bilateral events between the two countries, most notably the eighth session of the Egyptian-Indian Joint Committee in Cairo, proposing to hold it during the first half of 2026. He stressed the importance of holding a businessmen's forum on the sidelines of the Joint Committee to support economic cooperation between the two countries.

Regarding the economic and trade aspects of bilateral relations, Minister Abdel Aty reviewed the economic reforms implemented by the Egyptian government since 2016, including the adoption of a prudent monetary policy and a flexible exchange rate system. These reforms have positively impacted the Egyptian economy's performance and raised its credit rating, contributing to an attractive investment climate.

The discussions addressed opportunities for cooperation in localizing industries related to the green transformation, such as the manufacture of solar panels, wind turbines, and electrolyzers used in the production of green hydrogen, as well as the textile and ready-made garment sector, in which many Indian companies are showing increasing interest.

The Egyptian Foreign Minister also urged Indian companies to invest in Egypt to meet the needs of the local market and export abroad, particularly through the Suez Canal Economic Zone, which offers companies operating there multiple investment incentives and tax and customs exemptions.

He also congratulated India on its upcoming presidency of BRICS for 2026, affirming Egypt's full support for India's presidency of the bloc and its aspiration to enhance economic, financial, and monetary cooperation to contribute to achieving development and prosperity for the peoples of the group's member states.

Regarding regional developments in the Middle East, Abdel Aty reviewed Egypt's tireless efforts over the past two years to reach an agreement to cease the war in the Gaza Strip, which culminated in the historic summit in Sharm el-Sheikh. He welcomed India's participation in the conference. In this context, Minister Abdel Aty addressed the importance Egypt attaches to the parties to the agreement's commitment to fully implementing it, accelerating the start of early recovery and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip, and ensuring the delivery of humanitarian, relief, and medical aid. He emphasized the need to work towards a political horizon for the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination and establish their independent state on the June 4, 1967, lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The Egyptian Foreign Minister also reviewed the specifics of Egypt's position on a number of regional issues, including developments in Sudan, Libya, Lebanon, and Yemen.

For his part, the Indian Foreign Minister praised the remarkable development in bilateral relations between Egypt and India, stressing his country's commitment to developing relations in various political, economic, and commercial fields to meet the aspirations of the two friendly peoples. He also praised Egypt's pioneering and active role in supporting peace, security, and stability in the Middle East. He commended Egypt's pivotal role in ending the war in Gaza, praised the outcomes of the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit, and emphasized his country's commitment to achieving peace based on the two-state solution.

The two sides also agreed that the current multilateral international system suffers from a profound crisis of credibility and effectiveness, as clearly demonstrated by the paralysis that has afflicted the institutions charged with addressing global crises, particularly the United Nations Security Council, which has led to many crises turning into humanitarian disasters without accountability or deterrence. This failure to take the necessary action, from Gaza to Sudan, indicates that the current structures no longer effectively serve the principles of international peace and security for which they were established.