Egypt's Sisi, India's Modi sign maritime cooperation agreement in New Delhi

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi held talks with India Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Friday, discussing bilateral relations including economic and development issues, MENA news agency reported. The two officials also discussed the latest developments in the Middle East, among them efforts to counter terrorism. El-Sisi and Modi witnessed the signing of a maritime transportation agreement between Egypt and India after the talks. The Egyptian president also invited Modi to visit Cairo. Modi said at a joint press conference following the talks that Egypt was a natural bridge connecting Asia and Africa. He also said that India was ready to be a reliable partner to Egypt in fulfillment of its developmental, economic and security goals. From his part, President El-Sisi said that Egypt was looking forward to cooperating with India in all fields, especially on the governmental and public levels. El-Sisi also stated that he had given instructions to the Egyptian government to develop a plan to increase economic, development, military and security cooperation with India. Earlier Friday, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee held an official reception ceremony for El-Sisi. He also visited the tomb of Mahatma Gandhi in New Delhi. This is El-Sisi's second visit to India in less than a year.