Cairo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Sunday conferred with the ‘Order of the Nile’, Egypt’s highest honour, by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi here.
Instituted in 1915, the ‘Order of the Nile’ is conferred upon heads of states, crown princes, and vice presidents who offer Egypt or humanity invaluable services.
This is the 13th highest state honour conferred upon Prime Minister Modi.
“It is with great humility that I accept the ‘Order of the Nile.’ I thank the Government and people of Egypt for this honour. It indicates the warmth and affection they have towards India and the people of our nation,” Modi tweeted in both English and Arabic.
The ‘Order of the Nile’ is a pure gold collar consisting of three-square gold units comprising Pharaonic symbols.
The first unit resembles the idea of protecting the state against the evils, the second one resembles prosperity and happiness brought by the Nile and the third one refers to wealth and endurance.
The three units are connected to one another by a circular gold flower decorated with turquoise and ruby.
Hanging from the collar is a hexagonal pendant decorated with flowers of the Pharaonic style, and turquoise and ruby gems.
In the middle of the pendant, there is a protruding symbol representing the Nile that brings together the North (represented by the Papyrus) and the South (represented by the Lotus).
“A mark of abiding friendship between India & Egypt! PM @narendramodi was conferred with the highest civilian honour of Egypt, the ‘Order of the Nile’, by President @AlsisiOfficial in Cairo,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a tweet.
Over the past nine years, the Prime Minister has been conferred the Companion of the Order of Logohu, the highest civilian award of Papua New Guinea; the Companion of the Order of Fiji; the Ebakl Award by the Republic of Palau; the Order of the Druk Gyalp, the highest civilian decoration by Bhutan.
Modi has also been conferred with the Legion of Merit by the US Government; the King Hamad Order of the Renaissance by Bahrain; the Order of the Distinguished Rule of Nishan Izzuddin, the highest honour of the Maldives; the Order of St. Andrew award, the highest civilian honour of Russia.
Modi has also received the Order of Zayed Award, the highest civilian honour of the United Arab Emirates; the Grand Collar of the State of Palestine Award, the highest honour of Palestine; the State Order of Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan, the highest civilian honour of Afghanistan and the Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud, the highest honour of Saudi Arabia awarded to non-Muslim dignitaries.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday left for India after concluding his first-ever visit to Egypt where he held talks with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and was conferred with the Arab country’s highest honour ‘Order of the Nile’.
Modi, who arrived here on Saturday after concluding a high-profile state visit to the US at the invitation of President Joe Biden, was received at the airport by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly.
“My visit to Egypt was a historic one. It will add renewed vigour to India-Egypt relations and will benefit the people of our nations. I thank President @AlsisiOfficial, the Government and the people of Egypt for their affection,” Modi tweeted.
His two-day state visit to Egypt at the invitation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is also the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister since 1997.
Modi held talks with President El-Sisi on Sunday and discussed ways to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries with a focus on improving trade and investments, energy ties and people-to-people connections. The two countries elevated their relationship to a ‘Strategic Partnership’.
Earlier in the day, Modi visited Egypt’s historic 11th-century Al-Hakim Mosque, restored with the help of the Dawoodi Bohra community. He also visited the Heliopolis Commonwealth War Cemetery in Cairo and paid homage to over 4,300 valiant Indian soldiers who sacrificed their lives in Egypt and Aden during World War I. He also took a tour of pyramids at Giza.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Modi met with the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Shawky Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam, and discussed issues related to promoting social harmony and countering extremism and radicalisation.
Later in the evening, Modi met members of the Indian community in Egypt who showered fulsome praise on him, hailing him as India’s hero’.
He also met prominent personalities in Egypt, including Hassan Allam, CEO of one of the largest Egyptian companies operating in the Middle East and North African region, and Tarek Heggy, a renowned author and petroleum strategist.
Modi started his five-day visit on June 20. He visited the US from June 21-24. His visit to the US started in New York, where he led a historic event at the UN Headquarters to commemorate the 9th International Day of Yoga on June 21.
Later, in Washington DC, he was given a red-carpet welcome at the White House by President Biden.
The two leaders held a historic summit, followed by Modi’s address to Congress and a State Dinner hosted at the White House by the Bidens in his honour.
The visit was marked by several major deals to boost cooperation in key areas such as defence, space and trade.
Prime Minister Modi and President Biden hailed the “landmark” pact to jointly produce jet engines in India to power military aircraft and the US drone deal.
Modi on Thursday became the first Indian leader to address the joint session of the US Congress twice. His first address to a joint meeting of the US Congress was in 2016.
During his address, he sought action against state sponsors of terrorism.
Modi also made a strong push for reforming multilateral institutions, including the UN, and spoke glowingly of India’s ties with the US.
On Friday, US Vice President Kamala Harris along with Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted a luncheon for the Indian leader at the State Department. Modi also met top CEOs of the US and India at the White House.
