Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Egyptian counterpart Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly while visiting the Giza Pyramids earlier Sunday. Photo : Official Twitter account of PM Modi
Egyptian Prime Mostafa Madbouly accompanied him on the visit, along with Minister of Tourism Ahmed Eissa.
After the visit, Madbouly and Eissa gifted the Indian prime minister a replica of the famous golden mask of Ancient Egyptian King Tutankhamun.
“We had a rich discussion on the cultural histories of our nations and how to deepen these linkages in the times to come,” Modi said on his social media accounts on Sunday, thanking his Egyptian counterpart for accompanying him.
Modi started his official two-day visit to Egypt on Saturday when he met Madbouly and seven other cabinet members. They discussed deepening trade relations and further strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries.
Also on Sunday, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met with Modi and conferred him with the Order of the Nile award, the country’s highest state honour.
“It is with great humility that I accept the 'Order of the Nile.’ I thank the Government and people of Egypt for this honour.” Modi said in a statement on his social media accounts adding that conferring him with the Order of the Nile indicated the warmth and affection they have towards India and the people of our nation.
Before the visit to the Pyramids on Sunday, Modi, who was on his first-ever visit to Egypt, paid a visit to the 11th-century Al-Hakim Mosque in Historic Cairo.
Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Waziry welcomed him at the mosque and accompanied him on a tour inside. They viewed the significant restoration works that had been carried out in collaboration between both the ministries of tourism and antiquities and religious endowments, as well as the Bohra community in Egypt (a branch of Shia Islam with its roots in India).
The Indian prime minister also visited the Heliopolis War Grave cemetery where he paid tribute to the Indian soldiers who died fighting in Egypt and Palestine during the First World War.
Modi's visit to Cairo upon invitation from El-Sisi in January is the first for an Indian prime minister since 1997.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Egypt and India.
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