Egypt President accepts PM Modi's invitation to be chief guest at 2023 Republic Day celebrations

New Delhi: Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will be the chief guest at the upcoming Republic Day celebrations in January, India's Ministry of External Affairs confirmed on Sunday (November 27, 2022). Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sent a formal invitation to al-Sisi which was handed over to the Egyptian president by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on October 16.

"At the invitation of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, H.E. Mr. Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, will be the Chief Guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations on January 26, 2023," the MEA statement read. 

"This is the first time that President of the Arab Republic of Egypt will be the Chief Guest at our Republic Day," it added.

"India and Egypt enjoy warm and friendly relations based on civilizational and deep-rooted people-to-people ties. Both countries are celebrating the 75th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations this year. Egypt has been invited as a ‘Guest Country’ during India’s Presidency of G-20 in 2022-23," the statement said.

It is noteworthy that leaders of friendly nations have graced the Republic Day celebrations since 1950 when the then Indonesian President Sukarno was invited as the chief guest.

In 1952, 1953 and 1966, the Republic Day celebrations were held without a foreign leader as chief guest.

Earlier last year, the then British prime minister Boris Johnson was invited as the chief guest but his visit had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This year, India had reportedly invited leaders of the five Central Asian Republics, who were to visit Delhi for the India-Central Asia Summit, as chief guests for the Republic Day celebrations. However, the visit was again cancelled due to rising Covid-19 cases in India. The India-Central Asia Summit was then held in a virtual format.

In 2020, the then Brazil president Jair Bolsonaro was the chief guest.

Former US President Barack Obama (2015), Russian President Vladimir Putin (2007), former French presidents Nicholas Sarkozy (2008) and Francois Hollande (2016) have also been chief guests at the Republic Day celebrations in the past.