India,Egypt ink seven pacts,stress on economic ties

We agreed that his visit,at an important juncture for Egypt,offers us a great opportunity to renew our relationship and take it to a different level of engagement and cooperation, said the PM.

Singh,who termed Egypts transition as an important model for the region and the world,expressed his admiration for the sacrifices of the people of the nation in ushering in democracy. I conveyed our full support to President Morsi and offered to share our experience,as he ably leads his nation in building strong institutions and frameworks for democracy,social justice and inclusive economic development, he said. Morsi,who is on a three-day visit to India and has arrived from Pakistan,stressed for stronger economic ties between the nations and asked New Delhi to increase its investment in the Suez Canal free trade zone project.

India agreed that economic partnership between the two countries has rich possibilities and agreed to several pacts to cement ties. We agreed that information technology,services,electronics,small and medium enterprises,manufacturing,fertilisers,and renewable energy constitute important areas of cooperation, Singh said.

Discussing the security situation in the region,Singh also conveyed Indias steadfast support to the Palestinian cause and agreed with Morsi on the urgent need for a peaceful resolution of all issues through dialogue in Syria. We also agreed to foster productive partnerships in socio-economic development programmes,skill development,higher education,agriculture and healthcare, Singh said.

The pacts between the two nations included the setting-up of a centre for excellence in IT at the Al Azhar University in Egypt,an MoU for cooperation in the area of cyber security,cooperation in information technology as well as setting up a solar energy plant in Egypt. The agreements that we have signed are a clear manifestation of our desire to impart a new dynamism to our relationship, the PM said.