Patil to meet Egyptian Interior Minister, hold bilateral talks

Visiting Indian Home Minister Shivraj Patil will call on his Egyptian counterpart Habib El Adly and preside over bilateral delegation-level talks here today.

Cairo, Jan.7 : Visiting Indian Home Minister Shivraj Patil will call on his Egyptian counterpart Habib El Adly and preside over bilateral delegation-level talks here today.

On Tuesday, Patil will have meetings with other senior Egyptian dignitaries.

Patil, who arrived here on Saturday evening, met Egyptian President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak on Sunday morning at Sharm el Sheikh.

During the courtesy call, Patil conveyed the greetings and good wishes of President Pratibha Devisingh Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to President Mubarak. Patil also expressed appreciation of Egypt's role and, in particular of the personal efforts made by President Mubarak to promote peace and stability in the region.

Patil also lauded the visible progress made by Egypt under President Mubarak's leadership and guidance, and reiterated the priority assigned by India to the traditional, deep-rooted relations with Egypt .

Noting that India and Egypt faced similar challenges, Patil emphasized that his visit would lead to strengthened cooperation between the two countries.

President Mubarak noted with satisfaction the continuing high-level bilateral exchanges during the last one year and the further consolidation and deepening of the Indo-Egyptian relationship in diverse fields of cooperation. President Mubarak expressed confidence that Patil's visit would strengthen the contacts and promote better understanding.

President Mubarak and Patil had a detailed exchange of views on the international situation, in particular, developments in the region.

Patil reiterated the invitation from the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh to President Mubarak to visit India at an early and convenient date, and assured President Mubarak that Indian leaders were looking forward to his visit to India.

ANI