India shares special bonds with Egypt

India's Ambassador to Egypt Sanjay Bhattacharyya said that his country is linked with special ties with Egypt.

Addressing an event to mark the 51st anniversary of Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Day, the ambassador added that the two countries are now enhancing cooperation in the defense sector which would further strengthen the bilateral ties, the Indian Express reported.

The envoy said that the two countries have cooperation in various areas.

"Today we were celebrating the ITEC day and under this program we invite people from different countries, including Egypt, to talk about different aspects to like IT, engineering, agriculture even in the filed of defense, we feel that this is something that build very strong bond between the two countries and two people," he said.

Under the ITEC program, fields like security, defense, counter insurgency for defense personnel are offered by prestigious institutes in India, like National Defense College and Defense Service Staff College.

The "Tagore Hall" was inaugurated by Bhattacharyya at the event, in the newly renovated Chancery of the Embassy of India in memory of the great Indian poet, painter, revolutionary and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

Bhattacharyya also highlighted Tagore's friendship with the Egyptian poet Ahmed Shawky adding that he is the only author who penned the national anthems of two nations: India and Bangladesh.

Magued Osman, President of Egypt-India Friendship Association (EIFA), said that the linkages between India and Egypt is not only cultural but also have many other commonalities and both the countries face similar challenges.

He added that countries can learn from each other in facing these challenges.