In a first, Egyptian military contingent marches on Kartavya Path on India's Republic Day

Egypt President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is the chief guest of India's 74th Republic Day celebrations, and he brought his military contingent with him to march along with the numerous Indian armed forces' contingents that marched on Kartavya Path on Thursday, January 26. The Egyptian military contingent marched towards the saluting dais on the Kartavya Path for the first time. The army contingent participated in the presence of El-Sisi, President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Egyptian military contingent led by Colonel Mahmoud Mohamed Abdel Fattah El Kharasawy consisting of 144 soldiers represented the main branches of the Egyptian armed forces. It is for the first time that an Egyptian leader has been invited on India's Republic Day. The Egyptian contingent carries the legacy of one of the oldest regular armies known to humanity.

The commander of the Egyptian Army contingent, Colonel Mahmoud Mohamed Abdel Fattah El Kharasawy, expressed his delight at being invited to participate in India's 74th Republic Day parade on Thursday, hoping that the gesture will go a long way towards boosting bilateral ties and friendship between India and Egypt in future. "We have the pleasure of participating in India. This is the first time we are visiting India. It is a great country with a civilisation as old as ours in Egypt. We both are old civilisations. We have been here for four days and practised with our friends in the Indian Army. Our relationship is strong and we love supporting each other," El Kharasawy told ANI on Wednesday.

On the bilateral ties between India and Egypt, he said, "Our countries share a strong bond and have a great relationship. I hope this friendship goes from strength to strength in future. We also hope more people from India visit Egypt."

India-Egypt joint military exercise in Rajasthan

A joint exercise known as 'Cyclone 2023' between Indian Army and Egyptian Army's joint is being carried out in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer. The Additional Directorate General of Public Information in a tweet on January 23 said, "Exercise #Cyclone 2023 #SpecialForces troops of #IndianArmy and #EgyptArmy exercised Special Heliborne Operations during the ongoing joint exercise at #Jaisalmer."

Exercise #Cyclone 2023#SpecialForces troops of #IndianArmy & #EgyptArmy exercised Special Heliborne Operations during the ongoing joint exercise at #Jaisalmer.#IndianArmy#OnPathToTransformation pic.twitter.com/8NAt2pAuZI

— ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi)

Cyclone 2023 is the first-ever exercise that is taking place between the special forces of the Indian Army and the Egyptian Army. It began between the two countries on January 14, 2023. The 14-day-long exercise which is being carried out in the deserts of Rajasthan engages 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.