Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a state visit to Egypt on June 24-25 and held talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly. Mr Modi also received Egypt’s highest civilian honour Order of the Nile from El-Sisi.

India-Egypt relations have been gathering acceleration since past one decade. In particular defence cooperation between the two countries has been on the upswing during the past one year marked by high-level visits from both the sides.

The revival in the India-Egypt relations could be termed as a reset. In the 1950s and 1960s India and Egypt enjoyed close ties under the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM); however, the warmth faded in the late 1970s. The recent proximity to Egypt is concomitant to India’s vision for the Indo-Pacific Region from at least three perspectives.

First is from the geographical perspective. For India the geographical expanse of the Indo-Pacific Region stretches from the western coast of the United States (US) to the eastern shores of Africa of which engagements with Egypt is an important component. The framework of the Indo-Pacific has also led to greater focus on Africa which has been a lesser engaged entity in India’s foreign policy. Greater interactions with Egypt has also been a part of India’s overall increased engagements along Africa’s eastern shores. From the past one decade India is boosting its outreach to countries such as Mauritius, Seychelles, Kenya and South Africa.

Egypt’s strategic location in the Indo-Pacific Region is important to India and Indian Navy’s document ‘Ensuring Secure Seas: Indian Maritime Security Strategy’ of 2015 lists Red Sea as one of the areas of primary interests for the force.

At the wider level, the Indo-Pacific Region has also shaped India’s interactions with the Arab world. New Delhi has diversified ties with the Arab world particularly with Saudi Arabia and the UAE who are now strategic partners of India. Greater engagements with Egypt give India an opportunity to cooperate with a major military force in the Arab world and Africa.

Second, India’s approach to the Indo-Pacific is not limited only to defence engagements. Apart from strategic angle, India also places equal focus on cooperating in the areas of economy, technology, non-traditional security threats such as climate change and terrorism, capacity-building etc. India’s engagements with Egypt are reflective of this approach. Besides, military cooperation, India is cooperating with Egypt in multiple domains.  

During El-Sisi’s visit to India in January this year the two countries agreed to combat terrorism, in particular the threat posed by Muslim Brotherhood. This organization is involved in spreading radical ideology through the use of information technology and by forming NGOs and social organizations.

India and Egypt are also cooperating in the area of climate change. In July 2022, India and Egypt signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set up a green hydrogen plant with an investment of $8 billion in the Suez Canal Economic Zone.

India and Egypt are working together in the area of cyber security through collaboration between India’s Computer Emergency Response Team and Egypt’s Computer Emergency Readiness Team. Both the countries are also exploring cooperation where Indian IT professionals would train Egyptian professionals in cyber security.

Third, Egypt is considering allotting land to Indian businesses in the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCEZ). This development is a boost to India’s Indo-Pacific outreach. As the Indo-Pacific Region is attracting interests across the world, India is emerging as the pivot in this region. Access to Suez Canal is crucial for India not only because it is a major chokepoint, but also it is India’s trade route to Europe. India’s presence in the Suez Canal region could facilitate greater cooperation between India and the European countries that are increasingly formulating policies to engage with the Indo-Pacific Region.

India has been accelerating its outreach to the Indo-Pacific Region, in particular in the Indian Ocean component. Strengthening engagements with Egypt add to India’s increasing footprint in the region.

Mr. Niranjan Marjani is a political analyst and researcher based in Vadodara, India.