Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi on Sunday bestowed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Egypt’s maximum honor as the 2 international locations tightened their partnership.

El-Sissi welcomed Modi on the presidential palace in Cairo with the Order of the Nile, the Egyptian presidency stated in a declaration. The leaders signed a statement raising Egyptian-Indo ties to a “strategic partnership,” because of this that the 2 countries agreed to heighten their cooperation and maintain periodic talks, the assertion stated.

Egypt and India percentage deep ties that date lower back to the 1950s, once they performed key roles in founding the Non-Aligned Movement, which had sought an opportunity direction at the peak of the Cold War.

Modi, who arrived in Cairo on Saturday, is the primary Indian top minister to pay a kingdom go to to Egypt in extra than many years. His -day prevent got here six months after el-Sissi become in New Delhi as an legit visitor at India’s Independence Day.

Modi additionally invited the Egyptian chief to wait a summit of the Group of 20 main wealthy and growing nations, which India will host in September.

Following his talks with el-Sissi, Modi visited a anciental mosque, Cairo’s Al-Hakim, which become lately renovated with the assist of the India-primarily based totally Dawoodi Bohra community. He additionally paid tribute to Indian infantrymen who died in World War I and are buried withinside the Heliopolis War Cemetery in Cairo.

Modi’s ride to Egypt has targeted on strengthening bilateral ties. The high minister stated each international locations were transferring unexpectedly to boom bilateral exchange to $12 billion yearly inside 5 years — that’s up from $7.three billion in 2021-22.

“My go to to Egypt turned into a anciental one. It will upload renewed energy to India-Egypt members of the family and could advantage the humans of our countries,” Modi wrote on Twitter.

Earlier this year, each nations agreed to enhance exchange cooperation. India, the world’s maximum populous united states, is one of the pinnacle 5 importers of Egyptian products, which includes crude oil and liquefied herbal gas, salt, cotton, inorganic chemicals, and oilseeds. Major Indian exports to Egypt encompass cotton yarn, coffee, herbs, tobacco, lentils, car parts, ships, boats, and electric machinery.

El-Sissi and Modi, who got here to strength of their counties in 2014, have in current years cultivated nearer relationship. And during the last sixteen months, they resisted strain shape the West to sentence the Russian conflict in Ukraine. Both Egypt and India have many years-antique ties with the Kremlin.

“There is a trade withinside the international geopolitical and geoeconomic surroundings in which each nations desire to play a defining role,” India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh stated in the course of a go to to Cairo in September. “Egypt’s geostrategic vicinity acts as a connecting hyperlink among Africa, West Asia, the Mediterranean, and Europe and is likewise an essential u . s . from the Indo-Pacific factor of view.”

Modi arrived from the United States, wherein he held talks with President Joe Biden and pinnacle management officials, addressed the Congress and met with pinnacle American executives.

His assembly with el-Sissi got here as international interest targeted on a short rebel with the aid of using the pinnacle of Wagner Group, visible because the best undertaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin in his extra than many years in electricity. Neither chief commented at the Russian crisis.