Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi invited as Republic Day chief guest

People with knowledge of the situation said that India has invited Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebration in 2023, underscoring New Delhi’s continued attention on the Arab region as it gets ready for a year of high-profile diplomatic engagements.

According to the sources, the official invitation was given when Sisi and the external affairs minister, S. Jaishankar, met on October 16 in Cairo during Jaishankar’s official visit to Egypt. The G20 Summit will be hosted by India in 2023, and Egypt is one of the nine invited guest nations.

A chief guest invitation for the Republic Day celebrations on January 26 is a significant honour designated for the nation’s close allies and partners. The Covid-19 pandemic created significant disruptions in 2021 and 2022, which is why there were no chief guests for the festivities. Jair Bolsonaro, a former president of Brazil, was the final chief guest to attend the 2020 festivities.

Following his meeting with Sisi last month, Jaishankar said in a tweet that he had conveyed the “warm greetings of PM @narendramodi and handed over a personal message”. Both countries are yet to make a formal announcement about the matter.

Honoured to call on President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt.

Conveyed the warm greetings of PM @narendramodi and handed over a personal message. pic.twitter.com/JdqS2BBbxX

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) October 16, 2022

Despite the fact that India and Egypt have had close ties in the past, particularly since both countries were founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1961, the 68-year-old general-turned-politician is expected to be the first Egyptian leader to be hosted by India for the Republic Day celebrations.