Indian Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande meets Egypt counterpart; discusses strengthening of ties

Indian Army chief General Manoj Pande and his Egypt counterpart Lt Gen Osama Ahmad Roshdy Abdullah Askar discussed ways to strengthen India-Egypt bilateral ties during a bilateral meet on Tuesday, May 16. During the interaction of the two military leaders, a book titled 'Indian Army in Egypt' was released to commemorate the service and sacrifice of the Indian soldiers in Egypt.

The Indian Army Chief also interacted with the chief of operations of the Egyptian military Lt.Gen. Ahmed F Khalifa. The Indian Army chief is on a three-day visit to Egypt to enhance bilateral defence cooperation. Both countries will also discuss ways to improve and strengthen ties in areas of mutual interest of both the countries.

Military relations between India and Egypt  

India and Egypt enjoy cordial defence relations. The president of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi was invited as chief guest on India’s 74th Republic Day celebrations to reaffirm the strong relations between both countries. The MEA in a statement had said that this is for the first time the President of the Republic of Egypt has been invited to India to witness the Republic Day parade.

The military contingent of the Egyptian army also participated in the parade. India and Egypt are also celebrating 75 years of the establishment of Diplomatic relations between both countries. Both nations enjoy warm and friendly relations marked by civilisational, cultural as well as economic linkages and deeper and stronger people-to-people ties.

The multifaceted relationship is based on shared cultural values, commitment to fostering economic growth, and collaboration in the field of defence and security. Discussions between the two military leaders were also held regarding the commitment to work closely at multilateral and international platforms. The Joint defensive Committee (JDC) activities, which have been followed by exchange activities such as joint military drills and exercises in each other's countries, determine the majority of the defensive cooperation between the two countries.

Many exercises, ship transits, aircraft transits and defence exhibitions and military trade also contribute to ties between both nations. In January 2023, both nations participated in the Indo-Egypt joint exercise in Rajasthan known as ‘Exercise Cyclone’. It was a 14-day exercise which was carried out in the deserts of Rajasthan engaging both the contingents to advance special forces skills such as Sniping, Combat Free Fall, Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target designation, sharing of information on weapons, equipment, innovations, tactics, techniques and procedures.