India marks 73rd Republic Day

The Indian ambassador extended warm greetings to the friendly people of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Indian community in Egypt on this occasion.

“On 26 January 1950, our nation’s idealism and convictions took shape in the Constitution of India. In the last seven decades, India has grown into a vibrant, diverse and dynamic democracy, respected across the world,” the ambassador said.

“The Covid-19 pandemic continues to pose a major challenge to the world and economic well-being of countries. India, as the largest producer of vaccines in the world, has administered 1640 million doses so far.

“It has vaccinated more than 92 per cent of its adult population and fully vaccinated over 70 per cent of population above 18 years.

“India firmly believes in its global commitment and it is essential that vaccines be equally distributed across the world to end the pandemic. India has provided 110 million vaccines to countries abroad.”

The ambassador said India’s Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi also made a commitment at COP-26 Summit at Glasgow in November 2021 that India is prepared to supply 5 billion vaccines for itself and the world in 2022.

As for economic development, the ambassador said India’s economic recovery has been rapid and GDP is expected to grow by 9.5per cent in 2021-2022. India continues to remain a very attractive destination for foreign investors and received a record $82 billion in FDI in 2021.

Regarding entrepreneurship, the ambassador said India now has more than 25,000 startups with a funding of $24.1 billion. Most of the Startups are in e-commerce, mobility and food-tech.

“India is deeply committed to fighting climate change and promoting renewable energy globally. Today, India ranks 4th in the world in installed renewable energy capacity, which exceeds 150 GW.

“At the COP-26 Summit in Glasgow, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi set an ambitious target of taking India’s non-fossil energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030 and to meet 50 per cent of its energy commitments from renewable energy. India has also encouraged countries to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA), which already has 81 members, including Egypt.

Regarding bilateral ties, 2021 witnessed remarkable momentum in development of bilateral relations between India and Egypt.

“Our External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met on the margins of UNGA in September 2021. We were able to revive several bilateral mechanisms such as JWG on Trade and Industry and JCM on Science & Technology.”

“Bilateral trade has expanded by 80 per cent and is likely to reach a record high this year. Egypt’s exports to India have doubled between April-October 2021 and reached $1.94 billion. India has emerged as the largest export destination for Egypt in this period. India’s exports have also grown by 63 per cent in this period to amount to $1.86 billion.

The Indian and Egyptian Air Force undertook the first ever joint Air Exercise between India and Egypt named Ex Desert Warrior in end-November 2021. Earlier, India’s stealth frigate INS TABAR had visited the naval port of Alexandria. Over 10 Indian companies participated in the Egypt Defence Expo (EDEX) 2021 and showcased their state-of-the-art defence systems.

The ambassador conveyed his gratitude to the Government and the people of Egypt for their continued support and cooperation. He also thanked the Indian community in Egypt. They have earned goodwill and respect and helped to forge closer ties between India and Egypt.