Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi conferred the country’s highest state honour “Order of the Nile” on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.
Modi is the first Indian to have received the honour.
Instituted in 1915, the “Order of the Nile” is conferred upon heads of states, crown princes, and vice-presidents who offer Egypt or humanity invaluable services.
Modi, who is on a two-day state visit to Egypt, met with El-Sisi at the Presidential Palace, where the two leaders held a one-on-one meeting.
“It is with great humility that I accept the ‘Order of the Nile’”, Modi said. “I thank the Government and people of Egypt for this honour. It indicates the warmth and affection they have towards India and the people of our nation.”
Congratulating Modi for the honour, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said: “The epic success of PM Narendra Modi Ji as a statesman of global aura is now adorned with another honor as Egypt bestows its highest state honor, ‘The Order of Nile Award,’ on Modi Ji...Modi Ji is the only Indian PM to receive a maximum number of such awards from other countries.”
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman called it a “proud moment” for India as Modi received the honour. She also said that Modi has received highest civilian awards from 13 countries till now, out of which six countries are Muslim-majority ones.
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