PM Modi to visit Al-Hakim mosque, pay tribute to martyred Indian soldiers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his first Egypt tour will visit the 11thcentury AlHakim mosque and will also pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who died fighting for Egypt during the First World War said Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra on MondayThe Foreign Secretary made these remarks while addressing a special briefing on Prime Ministers upcoming visit to US and EgyptPM Modi will make a State visit to Egypt on June 24 and 25Kwatra said It is worth mentioning here that this will be Prime Ministers 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 1997He added that there have been visits in between but they have mostly been for multilateral or plurilateral eventsKwatra also said that PM Modi upon reaching Cairo on June 24 will first meet with the India unit a select unit of highlevel ministers that the President of Egypt had constituted after his return from IndiaMost 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 saidHe 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 EgyptExternal 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 Even as we speak a ministeriallevel 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 addedSpeaking further about PM Modis visit Kwatra said after the interaction with the India unit Prime Minister will have an interaction with the small Indian community that is there in Egypt and will likely also meet some of the prominent personalities in EgyptHis next day will begin with a visit to AlHakim mosque It is the 11thcentury mosque which was refurbished and renovated by the Bohra community and the visit to AlHakim mosque will be followed by a visit to the Heliopolis War Grave cemetery to pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice fighting for Egypt during the First World War he addedAfter this Prime Minister will have an official engagement with the President of Egypt including bilateral talks with the President of Egypt and the signing of various MoUs and agreements on that day said KwatraRecalling the recent India visit of the Grand Mufti of Egypt he said Egypt has also been invited as a special guest during Indias G20 presidencyKwatra also noted that PM Modis visit is a very quick reciprocal visit which came just within six months of Egypt President Sisis visit to IndiaWe do expect and are confident that the visit of PM Modi to Egypt will not just ensure continuing momentum to the relationship between our two countries but will also help it expand to new areas of trade and economic engagement between our two countries Kwatra saidPrior to his Egypt visit PM Modi will reach the United States at the invitation of President Joe BidenThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever