NEW DELHI – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday agreed to upgrade bilateral ties to the level of strategic partnership to include the political, security, defense, energy and economic fields.
The two leaders agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation on defense industries and explore new initiatives to boost military cooperation, according to a joint statement issued at the conclusion of President Sisi’s visit to India.
The pair hailed the progress made in implementing the outcome of the ninth meeting of the Joint Defense Committee, which was held in Cairo in November 2019, expressing hope for convening the tenth meeting of this committee soon in India, the statement said.
Sisi and Modi underlined the necessity of promoting common interests and enhancing mutual support to overcome the difficulties resulting from the world’s various crises and challenges, it added.
They discussed means of enhancing bilateral ties based on pillars aimed at closer political and security cooperation, the statement read.
Both leaders probed ways of cementing economic, scientific and academic cooperation, as well as strengthening cultural and popular exchanges, it noted.
Sisi and Modi expressed great satisfaction at the current volume of trade exchange that hit a record of USD 7.2 billion in the 2021/2022 fiscal year, despite the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic.
The two leaders voiced hope the volume of trade exchange to reach USD 12 billion in the next five years, through diversifying the trade basket and increasing the added value, the statement concluded.
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