India urges restraint and conciliatory dialogue in Egypt

India on Thursday urged all political forces to abjure violence, respect democratic principles and engage in conciliatory dialogue to address the present situation in Egypt.

"We are closely monitoring the evolving situation in Egypt. As world's largest democracy, India was amongst the first countries to welcome the 25th January revolution and the promise of genuine democracy in a large and important country like Egypt, with which we had traditionally enjoyed close and friendly ties. India urges all political forces to abjure violence, exercise restrain, respect democratic principles and rule of law and engage in a conciliatory dialogue to address the present situation," said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin.

"We have about 3,000 Indian nationals resident in Egypt. In addition, we also have about 50 Indian companies in Egypt. Our embassy in Cairo is in active and regular contact with all section of the Indian community with the objective of ensuring their welfare," he added.

In Egypt, the Chief Justice of the High Constitutional Court, Adly Mansour has been sworn in as the nation's interim President today. He will hold the executive powers till the next Presidential elections.

Mansour will head a caretaker Government comprising leading technocrats from different walks of life, which will oversee the early Presidential elections in the country. The move comes after the army ousted President Mohamed Morsi in a coup de'tat last night.

Egypt's military officers removed the country's first democratically elected president, Mohammed Morsi, on Wednesday, suspended the constitution and installed an interim government presided over by a senior jurist.