Egyptian contingent on the road to Kartavya: a show of strong ties to India | latest Indian news
For the first time in the illustrious history of the Kartavya PathAn Egyptian military contingent marched along while saluting the dais as the country’s army took part in India’s 74th Republic Day parade in the presence of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a demonstration of strong diplomatic ties between the two nations.
“We are pleased to participate in India. This is the first time we have visited India. It is a great country with a civilization as old as ours in Egypt. We are both ancient civilizations. We have been here for the past few days and we practice with our friends in the Indian Army. Our relationship is strong and we love supporting each other,” Egyptian Colonel Mahmoud Mohamed Abdel Fattah El Kharasawy, who led the contingent, said while addressing the media on Wednesday.
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The Egyptian military contingent led by Colonel El Kharasawy, made up of 144 soldiers, representing the main branches of the Egyptian armed forces, marched alongside the Indian contingents on Thursday.
The Egyptian contingent in the parade consisted of a 144-member military contingent and a 12-member band marching behind them. Two officers behind the leader of the contingent carried a ceremonial sword each, and one officer held the Egyptian flag.
The march of the Egyptian contingent and the visit of the Egyptian president are seen as an effort to strengthen the existing ties between India and Egypt. The two countries have had strong defense ties since the 1960s.
India was involved in Egypt’s aircraft industry in the 1960s, following an understanding between then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and then-Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. The countries collaborated on the development of the Helwan HA-300 fighter jet.
According to information from globalsecurity.org, both countries signed a contract in September 1964 for the development of the E-300 engine. Indian Air Force pilots also trained Egyptian pilots from the 1960s to 1984.
Recently, the first joint exercise between the special forces of both armies, dubbed “Exercise Cyclone-I”, was held in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan on January 14, 2023. The 14-day exercise was aimed at strengthening the defense cooperation between the two nations with a focus on sharing the professional skills and interoperability of Special Forces in desert terrains while conducting counter-terrorism, reconnaissance, raids and other special operations.
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The exercise, held in the deserts of Rajasthan, involves both contingents to advance special forces skills such as sniping, free-fall combat, reconnaissance, surveillance and targeting, weapons information sharing, equipment, innovations, tactics, techniques and procedures.
Along with longstanding military ties, India and Egypt on Wednesday upgraded their relationship to a strategic partnership as well. The two countries will strive to undertake joint actions in politics, security, defense, energy, economy, cross-border terrorism and radicalization.
Prime Minister Modi, after deliberating with the Egyptian president, said: “We have decided to upgrade our bilateral relations with Egypt to a strategic partnership. Under the India-Egypt Strategic Partnership, we will develop a long-term framework for further cooperation in the fields of politics, security, economy and science.”
Prime Minister Modi also announced that the two countries have also decided to bring the bilateral trade between their countries to $12 billion in the next five years.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, India-Egypt bilateral trade reached USD 7.26 billion in 2021-22. The bilateral trade agreement between the two countries has been in operation since March 1978.
The Egyptian president will wrap up his visit to India and leave for Egypt on January 27.
On Republic Day, one of the central themes, Nari Shakti (Women Power), was displayed by the armed forces, as well as the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). ).
Women participated in the BSF Camel Contingent and for the first time ever, a Signal Corps “Daredevils” motorcycle team was co-led by a female officer in the parade.
Meanwhile, the Indian Army mounted columns of 61 cavalry, nine mechanized columns, six marching contingents and an army aviation helicopter flyover.
On Republic Day, 27 paintings from various States, Union Territories, Departments and Armed Forces were exhibited.