Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Jan 25: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said on Wednesday that it was a ‘great privilege’ to be the chief guest on India’s 74th Republic Day.
Notably, El-Sisi is visiting India for the first time, and he will be the chief guest at tomorrow’s Republic Day Parade.
“I reiterate my congratulations to the Indian nation, government, and people for this great day. It is a great privilege to be a guest of honour and participate in the glorious national day,” Egyptian President Sisi said at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi.
“The relations between Egypt and India have been characterised by balance and stability. We have only seen constructive development. We have been all along evolving very positively,” he said further.
The president of Egypt also stated his intention to expand the scope of bilateral ties between the two nations.
El-Sisi was welcomed by President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Others who greeted him included S Jaishankar, the minister of external affairs, Dharmendra Pradhan, the minister of education, Mansukh Mandaviya, the minister of health, Piyush Goyal, and VK Saxena, the lieutenant governor of Delhi.
El-Sisi was welcomed with open arms when he arrived in New Delhi yesterday evening. He will attendae 74th Republic Day parade as the special guest. On his official visit from January 24 to January 27, he will be joined by a high-level group that includes five ministers and senior officials.
This year, India and Egypt are commemorating 75 years since their diplomatic ties were first established. Egypt has also been asked to join India’s G20 Presidency as a ‘guest country.’