PM Modi To Visit Al-Hakim Mosque During Maiden Egypt Tour

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the 11th-century Al-Hakim mosque during his first Egypt tour, informed Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra on Monday.

During his maiden visit, the Prime Minister will pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who died fighting for Egypt during the First World War

This was announced by the Foreign Secretary while addressing a special briefing on Prime Minister's upcoming visit to US and Egypt.

PM Modi will make a State visit to Egypt on June 24 and 25.

Kwatra said, "It is worth mentioning here that this will be Prime Minister's first visit to Egypt and I might also mention that this would be the first official bilateral visit of the Indian Prime Minister to Egypt since 1997."
He added that there have been visits in between, but they have mostly been for multilateral or plurilateral events.

Upon the Prime Minister’s arrival in Cairo on June 24, he will first meet with the India unit, a select unit of high-level ministers that the President of Egypt had constituted after his return from India.

"Most recently, the Egyptian president had paid a state visit to India when he graced our Republic Day earlier in the year as the chief guest. At this stage, the prime Minister is expected to reach Cairo in the afternoon of June 24 where where his first interaction will be with the India unit," the Foreign Secretary said.

He also mentioned that over the last several months since the visit of the President of Egypt, India has seen intense level of ministerial level political exchanges with Egypt.

"External Affairs Minister himself, the Defence Minister and the Minister of Environment have travelled to Egypt. We have had, similarly at least three to four ministers from the Egyptian government who have visited India,” he said.

“Even as we speak a ministerial-level delegation led by the chairperson of the Suisse Canal Authority is in India clearly shows you the extent of very sharp focus that both India and Egypt are placing on strengthening all aspects of their relationship," the Foreign Secretary added.

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