New York: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry here on Saturday and discussed bilateral ties on the margins of the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York.

After shaking hands, Jaishankar and the Egyptian Foreign Minister had a brief bilateral meeting in the presence of officials from the both sides.

Earlier on Friday, External Affairs Minister had a productive and busy day of engagements with his counterparts from multiple countries on the margins of the 78th UNGA.

Jaishankar is scheduled to address the 78th UNGA on September 26 according to an official statement by the Ministry of External Affairs.

Earlier this month, Egypt President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi arrived in New Delhi for the G20 summit. The summit, which was attended by a sizeable complement of world leaders and delegates representing international organisations, hosted at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam over two days — September 9 and 10.

Earlier in June, PM Modi visited Egypt at the invitation of the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. On his arrival in Cairo, the Prime Minister was received by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and was accorded a ceremonial welcome.

PM Modi's Egypt visit came as a reciprocal gesture following President El-Sisi's presence as the Chief Guest at India's Republic Day celebrations earlier this year. El-Sisi's visit proved to be highly successful, culminating in both nations mutually agreeing to elevate their relations to the status of a strategic partnership.

The PM Modi's visit, the first by any Indian PM since 1997, was significant as Egypt has traditionally been one of India's most important trading partners in the African continent. India-Egypt Bilateral Trade Agreement has been in operation since March 1978 and is based on the Most Favored Nation clause, according to the Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS).

India was Egypt's fifth largest trading partner in the period April -December 2022. It was the 11th-largest importer of Egyptian goods and the 5th-largest exporter to Egypt during the same time.

The two countries share a close political understanding based on a long history of contact and cooperation in bilateral, regional and global issues.