Why Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdelatty cancelled his India visit

Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdelatty has called off his planned visit to India in view of the worsening security situation in the Middle East.

 

Abdelatty was scheduled to arrive in India on Monday on a two-day state visit. He was also scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday.

 

This is the second time Abdelatty’s visit to India has been called off after a similar postponement in February. The Egyptian authorities, however, have not provided an official explanation for the latest cancellation. 

 

India-Egypt relations have strengthened significantly in recent years, especially after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Cairo in 2023. The two nations have elevated their ties to strategic partnership status.

 

The security situation in the Middle East deteriorated after Israel launched airstrikes at the military and nuclear facilities in Iran last week, triggering an intense military confrontation between the two countries.

 

The tension escalated further on Sunday, after the US joined Israel and carried out airstrikes on three key nuclear facilities in Iran—Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan.

 

According to experts, the Israel-Iran war has placed Egypt in a risky situation, as they have become the African country most exposed to the immediate economic fallout.

 

Last week, Abdelatty had warned of the repercussions of the ongoing military confrontation between Israel and Iran, saying they threaten regional security and stability.

 

Abdelatty said Egypt was conducting intensive contacts with regional and international parties to limit the military escalation and contain the situation.

 

On Saturday, a few hours before the US bombings at Iranian nuclear sites, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and expressed his country’s complete rejection of the ongoing Israeli escalation against Iran.

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