India-Egypt Joint Declaration on the State Visit of H.E. Dr. Mohamed Morsy, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt (18-20 March, 2013)

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India-Egypt Joint Declaration on the State Visit of H.E. Dr. Mohamed Morsy, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt (18-20 March, 2013)

March 20, 2013

The President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Morsy, paid a State visit to India from 18 to 20 March 2013 at the invitation of the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee. President Morsy was accompanied by a high-level delegation of Ministers, senior officials and business persons.
President Morsy called on the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee. The Vice-President of India, Shri Mohammed Hamid Ansari, the External Affairs Minister, Shri Salman Khurshid, Chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance, Smt. Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Smt. Sushma Swaraj called on President Morsy. The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, hosted a banquet in honour of President Morsy.
The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh held delegation-level discussions with H.E. President Mohamed Morsy on 19 March 2013. Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh congratulated President Morsy for being a democratically elected President of the Arab Republic of Egypt and expressed India's happiness in seeing democratic traditions taking root in Egypt. He offered all support in the democratic transition process in Egypt and expressed satisfaction with regard to the growing interaction between the Election Commission of India and its counterpart in Egypt.
The two leaders expressed satisfaction over the evolution of bilateral relations in recent years and directed that exchanges and consultations should be further intensified in order to realise the full potential of the relationship. They took note of the successful meeting of the India-Egypt Joint Commission in March 2012 at the level of Foreign Ministers and the India-Egypt Foreign Office Consultations at the level of Secretary/Assistant Foreign Minister in January 2013.
The two sides discussed bilateral defence ties and measures to enhance cooperation, including through the forthcoming Joint Defence Committee meeting scheduled to take place in Delhi in April, 2013.
The two leaders noted the growing bilateral economic interaction in recent years and particularly welcomed the growth in Indian investment in Egypt which today stands at US $ 2.5 billion. They underlined the importance of taking all measures in order to provide better climate and opportunities for promotion of investments. They agreed that all investment related issues would be accorded utmost priority.
The two leaders also exchanged views on a wide range of issues of bilateral, regional and international interest including those relating to the situation in the Middle East and North Africa region; the Non-Aligned Movement; and the reform of the United Nations.
The two sides expressed deep concern over the deteriorating security situation and continued violence and bloodshed in Syria. The two sides, while expressing their support to the mission of Lakhdar Brahimi, asserted their position regarding the safeguards of the unity and territorial integrity of Syria, and called for the implementation of the Joint Communiqué of Geneva Action Group with a view to bring about a political solution to the conflict in order to achieve the just aspirations of the Syrian people for freedom, dignity and democracy.
The two leaders reiterated their well-known support for the Palestinian cause in line with their backing of the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973) calling for a negotiated solution resulting in a sovereign, independent, viable, contiguous and united state of Palestine living within secure and recognized borders, side by side at peace with Israel as endorsed in the Quartet Roadmap and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1397 and 1515. The two leaders welcomed the overwhelming vote at the United Nations General Assembly to upgrade Palestine to non-member observer state in the United Nations. The two leaders called for an end to the expansion of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine and for an early and significant easing of restrictions on the free movement of persons and goods within Palestine. Both sides agreed that peace in the region required sustained and substantive negotiations among the parties. They advocated active support of the international community and regional players for efforts in normalizing the situation in West Asia, and resuming the Middle East Peace Process.
India and Egypt strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Both sides considered terrorism, including cross border terrorism, to be one of the gravest threats to international peace and security, and affirmed that there can be no justification for any act of terrorism, irrespective of motivations, wherever and by whosoever committed. They are convinced that terrorism cannot, and should not, be associated with any nationality, religious, cultural or ethnic group. They reaffirmed their resolve to strengthen their cooperation in combating terrorism at all levels.
His Excellency, President Dr. Mohamed Morsy addressed a meeting of the India-Egypt Business Forum where the potential of economic cooperation between the two countries was highlighted under the theme "Complementarities for Growth”. Memoranda of Understanding on skill development and training, micro-finance and setting-up of an industrial park on plastics were signed by the Indian and Egyptian companies, during the India-Egypt Economic Forum.
The two countries agreed to collaborate in the field of technology, in particular in information and communications technologies; agriculture; biotechnology; and non-conventional energy technologies. They will work towards enhancing cooperation in the field of science and technology and in this regard agreed to set up a Joint Working Group. The two sides also set up a Joint Working Group to explore new initiatives for cooperation in the field of space science. They also agreed to work in the areas of tourism, youth affairs and sports, agriculture research and education, technical education and vocational training and other fields of mutual benefit.
The Egyptian side expressed its appreciation for the Pan African E-network Project for tele-medicine and tele-education at Alexandria University, solar electrification of a village in Siwa and establishment of a textile vocational training centre in Egypt. Both sides agreed to continue to cooperate closely in these areas.
Both sides expressed satisfaction at the significant growth in the bilateral trade in the recent past to cross US$ 5 billion and agreed to achieve a target of US$ 8 billion by March 2016. They welcomed the first meeting of the Joint Trade Committee held recently in Cairo on March 10, 2013 where the introduction of new commodities, including trade of wheat, cotton and fertilizers, was discussed. They also agreed to enhance the cooperation through appropriate trade arrangements.
India and Egypt discussed intensification of cooperation in the ICT sector by facilitating and providing assistance to help promote trade and technology sector. They welcomed the conclusion of MoUs on ICT cooperation and cyber security between the two countries to strengthen collaboration in the field of cyber security.
India and Egypt will work towards expanding cooperation between their respective oil companies, both in the public and private sectors, for establishing long-term relationships in supply of crude oil and petroleum products, upstream and downstream joint ventures, refineries, petrochemical industries and marketing, both in Egypt and India as permitted by their respective laws and regulations. They also agreed to explore the possible collaboration in the field of fertilizers.
India and Egypt welcomed ongoing efforts towards developing partnerships between institutions of the two countries in the areas of culture, Indian and Egyptian studies and languages. They also encouraged more interaction between civil societies and stressed on the importance of enhancing people to people contacts between the two countries.
The following Memoranda of Understanding/Agreement were signed at the conclusion of the talks between the Prime Minister of India and the President of Egypt:

i. Memorandum of Understanding between Ministry of Communications & Information Technology of Government of India and Ministry of Communications and Information Technology of Arab Republic of Egypt for Cooperation in Information and Communication Technology

ii. Memorandum of Understanding between Ministry of Communications & Information Technology of Government of India and Ministry of Communications and Information Technology of Arab Republic of Egypt on Cooperation in the area of Cyber Security.

iii. Memorandum of Understanding between Government of the Republic of India and Arab Republic of Egypt for the establishment of a Centre of Excellence in Information Technology (CEIT) in Egypt.

iv. Memorandum of Understanding between Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage and Ministry of State for Antiquities Affairs, Arab Republic of Egypt for cooperation in the fields of protection, preservation, promotion and management of cultural heritage.

v. Memorandum of Understanding between National Small Industries Corporation, Republic of India and Social Fund for Development, Arab Republic of Egypt on cooperation in the field of micro and small enterprises.

vi. Agreement between the Government of Egypt represented by Industrial Development Authority and Government of India Enterprise, the National Small Industries Corporation, New Delhi for upgradation of a Vocational Training Centre at Shoubra El Kheima, Cairo, Egypt.
In addition to the above, the following two Letters of Intent were signed:

i. Letter of Intent on India-Egypt Solar Energy Cooperation between Ministry of New and Renewable Energy of the Republic of India and Ministry of Electricity and Energy of the Republic of Egypt.

ii. Letter of Intent concerning launch services of the Egyptian nano-satellite EGYCUBESAT-1 on-board the Indian polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV) by Antrix Corporation Ltd. of India and the Egyptian National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences.
His Excellency President Mohamed Morsy invited the President and the Prime Minister of India to visit Egypt at a mutually convenient time. The invitations have been accepted.
His Excellency President Mohamed Morsy expressed deep gratitude and appreciation to the President and the Prime Minister of India for the warmth of the reception accorded to him and to his delegation during their stay.

New Delhi,
20 March 2013

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Ministry of External Affairs

India-Egypt Joint Declaration on the State Visit of H.E. Dr. Mohamed Morsy, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt (18-20 March, 2013)