Rose el Youssef newspaper, p.7, (17-11-2008)

India which we have forgotten

By: Mohammed Hamdy

President Hosni Mubarak arrived to New Delhi, the Indian capital, yesterday. The visit highlights the relations between Egypt and India, the relations that we have forgotten in spite of their historical importance. These relations date back to the Revolution of July 1952, when the Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser, the Indian leader Jawaharlal Nehru and the Yugoslavian President Josip Broz Tito met to found the Non-Aligned Movement. This movement was the most important international instrument providing all forms of support to national movements fighting for freedom in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Since the 1950s, India has been a major strategic ally to Egypt and the Arab world in the Arab-Israeli conflict. These close relations have been maintained until priorities changed places when the Arabs stood up to the Russian invasion to Afghanistan and Gulf countries extended support to Pakistan, the traditional enemy of India. This support was not limited to mobilization of forces against the communist power on behalf of the West, for they funded the Pakistani nuclear project to produce the so-called "Muslim nuclear bomb."

In view of the Arab countries' unlimited support to Pakistan and their imbalanced relations with India and Pakistan, it was normal for India to reorder its priorities and turn to establish economic relations and unprecedented military cooperation with Israel. While this cooperation was developing, the Arabs were busy with the delusion of the Muslim nuclear bomb and the holy war in Afghanistan in face of the Soviet Union and in favour of the US. This came at the expense of the Arab issues, including national security and strategic interests.

During this period, the Egyptian-Indian relations have not been severed, but only ebbed away. We, the Arabs, are responsible, to a large extent, for the growth of the Indian-Israeli relations, since we have ignored a traditional ally that has developed to become one of the most promising economies in the world.

We have been busy for a long time. At best, we would attack the growth of the Indian-Israeli relations. We have not been, however, interested to consider our efforts to maintain and develop these historical relations bringing them to the right track and making use of our common history.

Mubarak's visit to India, which he has not visited since 1982, signifies the Egyptian state's turn to revive bilateral relations and promote common interests. This step stems from the recognition that establishing distinguished relations with India comes in favour of the Egyptian national security, a top priority on the President's agenda covering a wide region from the south Sudan to east India, which we have forgotten.

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