Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi shakes hands with Indian PM Narendra Modi | Photo: AFP

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today in New Delhi, India.

President El-Sisi’s three-day trip to India culminates tomorrow with the honor of being Chief Guest at India’s Republic Day celebration, building on months of bilateral relationship building between the two countries. Last October, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with El-Sisi and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Hassan Shoukry in Cairo to further relations. In November, just prior to India’s ascension to the yearlong presidency of the G20 on December 1^st, Egypt confirmed an invitation to participate as a “guest country” at G20 meetings during India’s term.

While El-Sisi’s meeting with Modi will touch on a wide range of subjects, such as promoting Indian investment in Egypt, the most likely area for substantive national agreements will be in the defense sector. As the two nation’s special forces’ first joint exercises take place, look for India to move towards agreeing to eventually supply Egypt with its requests for Indian fighters, helicopters, and anti-air missiles.

Given Egypt’s strategic location and last year’s record Indo-Egyptian trade, it is likely that India will continue to diplomatically support Egypt, especially as regional opponent China also has interests in the region.