During Surajkund International Crafts Mela, the Minister of External Affairs of India "Sushma Swaraj" praised the Egyptian participation in that event; adding that the Egyptian civilization is characterized by its richness.
The Minister said that there are strong relationships between the Egyptian and Indian peoples, and she felt that clearly during her visit to Cairo last August to convey the invitation addressed to President Al Sisi from the Indian Prime Minister to attend the India Africa Forum Summit which was held in Delhi last October.
Minister Swaraj also emphasized that India and its culture always has a great presence in Egypt, adding that actor Amitabh Bachchan found heartfelt feelings and warm hospitality while he was attending India by the Nile Festival. The Minister welcomed that Egypt will be the Partner Country of the next edition of the Mela, suggesting that the Egyptian participants should construct replicas of the world famous Pyramids at the Mela, so that people from all walks of life can witness Egypt and its beauty at Surajkund. On the other hand, the Minister expressed admiration for the performance of the Egyptian folkloric dance troupe "Reda" and she mentioned that she attended the wonderful show which was presented by an Egyptian troupe " Mawlawiyah" at the Indian Presidential Palace at the end of the India- Africa Forum Summit.
Egypt's Ambassador to India "Hatem Tageldin" met with the Indian Commerce and Industry Minister "Nirmala Sitharaman" to discuss India's participation in a forum on Investing in Africa which will be hosted by Egypt in Sharm El Sheikh on February 20-21 under the auspices of President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi. During the meeting, the Ambassador stressed Egypt's keenness on India's participation in the forum as an important partner to Africa. He also asserted the importance of continuing cooperation between the two countries in the international forums that discuss international trade issues. Both sides discussed also bilateral relations in the area of trade and investment. Ambassador Tageldin called upon the Indian side to participate in current Egyptian investment opportunities such as Suez Canal Area, New Egyptian Capital, smart cities and solar energy projects. He declared that the Indian investments in Egypt have reached about $3 billion, adding that there are 3 Egyptian companies investing in India.
The Pharmed Healthcare, an Egyptian joint venture with the Indian drug maker Hetero Drugs Limited, has inaugurated a facility in Egypt to manufacture the 2nd generation of Hepatitis C drug Sofosbuvir (also known as Sovaldi), under a licence from Gilead Science to produce and market in the North African countries. Pharmed Healthcare celebrated the new drug “Heterosofir”, where the CEO declared that the company is targeting to increase its investments in Egypt from EGP 250 million to reach EGP one billion during the next four years through producing the new drug which is a merge of three types of treatments.