New Delhi (The Stellar News) Saksham Kalia: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the chief guest for the Republic Day Celebrations this year, landed in India on Tuesday. This is the first that an Egyptian President has been invited as chief guest for the event.
Sisi will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 25, and President Droupadi Murmu will host a State Banquet in his honour the same evening.
Sisi will have a meeting and delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will also call on President Sisi. The visiting dignitary will interact with the Indian business community at an event on the same day, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
An invitation to be the Republic Day chief guest is highly symbolic from the Indian government’s perspective. New Delhi has been weaving strategy with hospitality to decide its chief guest for the Republic Day. The choice of chief guest every year is dictated by a number of reasons — strategic and diplomatic, business interests, and international geo-politics.
