The visit to India of the Egyptian President, Sisi, has once more put the spotlight on the relationship between these two countries. They have had an exceptional closeness and friendly association in the critical days after the ending of World War II, when the modern world was being re-shaped and the new countries were coming into their own. The initial target was colonialism where the two countries were partners in the undoing of the rule imposed by the former colonial masters. India had achieved its freedom in 1947 at a time when Egypt had been on the same path of fighting for representative rule for many years. For both of them, their individual emancipation was more than something to benefit them alone: they saw themselves as the flag bearers of a larger cause of universal liberation, and this was the leitmotif of the early phase of Indian foreign policy. Under Nehru&’s leadership India was in the forefront and exercised an influence quite disproportionate to its limited resources and international exposure.

Egypt, too, was guided by a wider vision, and Nasser saw his country as the centre of three concentric circles, respectively of Arab, Islamic, and developing countries, where his country had a preponderant role. Of such visions of these and other leaders of newly emerged countries was the post-war world to be built. The great event that energized the quest was Egypt&’s decision to nationalize the Suez Canal, which dealt a decisive blow against British and French colonialism and brought an entire era to an end. The badly botched subsequent military intervention was the colonialists’ last hurrah. It sparked great indignation across the globe, and India took the lead in mobilizing opinion against the attackers, those that which produced real warmth between the people of the two countries: until today the sentiment lingers and is often invoked, as was witnessed during President Sisi&’s visit. This closeness between the two countries in time became one of the mainsprings of NAM when it came into being.

Another dimension of the India-Egypt relationship that has never lost its relevance is their shared belief in secularism. It has always been an important objective of Indian policy to develop close relations with the secular countries in its region. Partition accentuated differences between communities within the sub-continent and made it all the more relevant for independent India to actively develop its relations with the Arab countries and with the Muslim world. It found ideological compatibility with Egypt, which affirmed its Islamic identity while at the same time being socialist and secular. By contrast, Pakistan looked to more traditionalist Islamic elements and tried to promote some sort of solidarity among them, to be directed, at need, against India. In these circumstances solidarity with a prominent country like Egypt with its progressive worldview was an important asset to Indian policy.

Much has happened since those early days and both India and Egypt have had to find fresh ways of pursuing their essential interests as the global scene has taken new turns. The parameters of their earlier relationship have had to be adjusted and fresh areas of cooperation have had to be explored. This was visible when President Sisi came to call. Practical measures of economic cooperation are needed today to convert the established goodwill between the two countries into a meaningful association for the future. Earlier attempts in this direction have not yielded as much as was hoped for, and while a certain amount has been achieved, the economic tie has not been developed to the desired extent. Of course, there are inherent limits in developing economic ties, relating to their respective states of development and the economic strategies they have adopted, which became evident in earlier efforts to develop some sort of preferential arrangements between Nonaligned and Developing Countries, to add momentum to their development efforts. These attempts did not get very far and the economic links between the two have tended to lag behind their flourishing political relationship.

An issue that scarcely drew attention in the halcyon days of India-Egypt relations is the matter of terrorism. Egypt&’s is a restrained and sober world in the midst of an often volatile and changeable neighbourhood. It is not prone to violent settlement of disputes, and even its revolutionary changes of regime have been relatively bloodless and without violence. Nasser&’s overthrow of the monarchy was a restrained affair, without the vindictive passion that more often than not attends such revolutionary events. This calm and tolerant society has nevertheless moved decisively when it had to, most notably when it felt it necessary to suppress fundamentalist bodies like the Muslim Brotherhood which had tried to re-make the Egyptian state according to its own sectarian convictions. The present army-backed regime has acquired democratic credentials and has confronted and overcome the fundamentalist challenge. The theme of terrorism and the need for joint action against it figured prominently in the Egyptian leader&’s discussions in New Delhi. He stressed the contribution of both countries in their respective regions as factors of order and stability, which brings them closer and reinforces the deep-seated friendship they share.

The visiting President made a strong call for enhanced economic relations and made a pitch for Indian investment in his country. A number of possibilities were mentioned in this context, including investments in sectors like pharmaceuticals and petro chemicals. Textiles were also mentioned, both countries being famous producers of cotton goods. A certain amount of Indian investment in Egypt and has already taken place, which seems to have encouraged the Egyptian President to seek enhanced effort. Mr Sisi made a special mention of the Suez Canal Area Development project which is a greatly ambitious scheme to double the capacity of the Canal itself and to attract massive investment from abroad to transform the canal zone and make it into a prime feature of Egypt&’s economic progress. The Suez Canal&’s importance as the chief maritime link between Europe and Asia would be further strengthened by these developments, so this new Egyptian initiative can make a huge difference in the globalizing world economy.

The issues that brought India and Egypt close in past years have not lost their relevance and there is every reason for them to persevere and do what is needed to reinforce their traditional ties. Mr Sisi&’s visit is an important step in this direction. The further test will be to develop economic exchanges, which have yet to achieve anything like their proper potential. The goodwill and mutual understanding that have never been lost should now be directed towards new economic goals, for which special effort may be needed from both sides if barriers to intensified economic cooperation are to be overcome.

The writer is India’s former Foreign Secretary.