Gadkari invites Egyptian President for India-Africa Summit

Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari today met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi in Cairo today and invited him to visit India for the third India-Africa Forum Summit in October 2015.
"Gadkari informed President Sisi that Prime Minister Modi was personally very keen to meet him and the third India-Africa Forum Summit, would be an occasion not only for expanding regional cooperation but also for taking India-Egypt bilateral partnership to a new high," the Shipping Ministry said in a release.
Gadkari, who is in Egypt to represent India at the inaugural ceremony of new Suez Canal tomorrow, handed over President Sisi Modi's letter inviting him to India.

"President Sisi hoped that there would be further closer cooperation between the two countries in various areas and reiterated his commitment to further strengthening bilateral relations between the two friendly nations," the release said.
Sisi said that he was very impressed by recent economic developments in India which could be a model for other developing countries like Egypt.
India is hosting its largest diplomatic outreach programme with Africa from October 26, inviting leaders of all 54 states in the region, 10 months after it had cancelled the event due to Ebola scare.

Gadkari congratulated Sisi on the completion of the New Suez Canal and described it as a great achievement which would further promote economic development of Egypt and the region.

Egypt late last month began the trial runs of new Suez canal ahead of the formal inauguration on August 6.
Dubbed as Suez Canal Axis, the 72-kilometre project is aimed at speeding up traffic along the existing waterway by reducing the waiting period of vessels, as well as boosting revenues for Egypt.
The project will run part of the way along the existing canal that connects Red Sea to the Mediterranean.