Nepal- Egypt Relations

Political Relations

Diplomatic relations between Nepal and Egypt was established on 16 July 1957. Nepal opened its residential Embassy in Cairo in 1966 and the Egyptian Embassy was opened in Kathmandu in 1970. Both countries are the founder members of the Non-Aligned Movement. Nepal appreciates the pioneer role played by Egypt for the promotion of the principles and ideals of the Non-Aligned Movement. Nepal endorsed the Camp David Accord signed by Egypt and Israel in 1978, which ultimately led to the signing of the Peace Treaty between Egypt and Israel in 1979.

Nepal and Egypt signed a MoU on establishing a bilateral political consultation mechanism between the Foreign Ministries on July 16th, 2007.

Bilateral Visits

From Nepali side

The exchange of visits and contacts at various levels has contributed significantly to the growth of friendly relations between the two countries.

  1. Late King Mahendra visited Egypt in October 1964 to participate in the Second Summit of the NAM.
  2. Late King Birendra and Late Queen Aishwarya paid a State Visit to Egypt at the invitation of the Late President Anwar El Sadat in February 1981.
  3. Representing Late King Birendra, late Prince Dipendra attended the funeral of Late President Anwar El-Sadat in October 1981.
  4. Late King Birendra paid an unofficial visit to Egypt in September 1983.
  5. The then Nepali Foreign Minister Mr.Krishna Raj Aryal visited Egypt in 1979 and signed the Scientific and Cultural Agreement between the two countries.
  6. The then Ministers of Agriculture Ram Chandra Paudel and Padma Sunder Lawati visited Egypt in 1993 and 1996, respectively.
  7. The then Minister of Water Resources PashupatiShumsher JB Rana visited Egypt in September 1996.
  8. Similarly, a Nepali delegation led by then Speaker of House of Representatives Ram Chandra Paudel visited Egypt in September 1997 to participate in the 98th IPU Conference.
  9. In September 1999, the then Minister for Agriculture Chakra Prasad Bastola visited Egypt.
  10. Former King Gyanendra and Queen Komal visited Egypt from November 28 to December 2, 2005.
  11. Hon’ble Minister for Foreign Affairs Mrs. Shana Pradhan visited Egypt in 2007.

From the Egyptian side 

  1. Ahmed Shosukry, the then Secretary of State at the Ministry of Commerce visited Nepal in 1975 to conclude a Trade Agreement with Nepal.
  2. Boutros Boutros Ghali, the then Egyptian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (former UN Secretary General) paid an official visit to Nepal in April 1980.
  3. A delegation from the Egyptian Civil Aviation authority visited Nepal in August 1995 and signed the initials of the Air service Agreement between both countries.
  4. In March 1996, Egyptian Minister for Electricity and Energy, Engineer M. Kaher Abaza, visited Nepal.
  5. Similarly, Mr. Mohamed Nagui El-Ghatrey, Assistant Foreign Minister of Egypt visited Nepal in December 1998.
  6. Ezzat Saad El Sayed, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Egypt visited Nepal on a four-day visit in May 2005.
  7. Ambassador Tamer Khalil, the Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister for Asian Affairs, paid a visit from 20 to 22 March 2008.
Economic Relations

Trade & Commerce

Trade agreement between the Government of Nepal and the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt was signed on 23 December 1975. The Agreement comes into force from the date of receipt of instrument of ratification. With a view to the change in situation after 1975, revision of the Agreement or conclusion of the new agreement has been deemed necessary.  Therefore, an Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation between the two countries has also been signed on 16 July 2007. There is a potential to further boost trade and investment between Nepal and Egypt. Currently, the volume of trade is insignificance in view of the scope.

Tourism

Tourism can be one of the potential areas of Nepal-Egypt relations. Nepal can become a destination for the local population who visit abroad during the summer. There is a need of direct flights to Nepal keeping in view the increasing traffic. Similarly, Nepal has tremendous scope for eco-tourism. Family tourism for a longer duration is another way to attract the Egyptians because of its climate.

Cultural Cooperation

A Cultural, Scientific and Technical Cooperation Agreement between Nepal and Egypt was signed on 12 February 1976 with a view to expanding the scope of cooperation in the fields of culture, science and technology. Pursuant to the Agreement, Executive Programs on Cultural, Scientific and Technical Cooperation between the two countries having been signed for two years each from time to time since January 1994. Under the program, Egypt is to provide technical assistance and scholarships in the areas of science and education, culture, youth, sports, tourism and agriculture. The Ministry of Agriculture of Egypt is providing five scholarships (on average) annually to the Nepali Officials working in the field of agriculture. Egypt has also been providing scholarships to Nepali students to study Islamic education in Al Azhar University, Cairo Egypt. Apart from the Islamic education, Egypt has also been providing scholarships to the Nepali students for medical studies in the Cairo University.

A Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Nepal and Egypt was also signed on 02 March 1996. Under the MOU, the Institute for Diplomatic Studies of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to provide two annual training scholarships for the Nepali diplomats.