Egypt's highest honour 'Order of the Nile' conferred on Modi
Cairo, Jun 25: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Sunday conferred with the 'Order of the Nile', Egypt's highest honour, by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi here.
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.
This is the 13th highest state honour conferred upon Prime Minister Modi.
"It is with great humility that I accept the 'Order of the Nile.' 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," Modi tweeted in both English and Arabic.
The 'Order of the Nile' is a pure gold collar consisting of three-square gold units comprising Pharaonic symbols.
The first unit resembles the idea of protecting the state against the evils, the second one resembles prosperity and happiness brought by the Nile and the third one refers to wealth and endurance.
The three units are connected to one another by a circular gold flower decorated with turquoise and ruby.
Hanging from the collar is a hexagonal pendant decorated with flowers of the Pharaonic style, and turquoise and ruby gems.
In the middle of the pendant, there is a protruding symbol representing the Nile that brings together the North (represented by the Papyrus) and the South (represented by the Lotus).
"A mark of abiding friendship between India & Egypt! PM @narendramodi was conferred with the highest civilian honour of Egypt, the 'Order of the Nile', by President @AlsisiOfficial in Cairo," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a tweet.
Over the past nine years, the Prime Minister has been conferred the Companion of the Order of Logohu, the highest civilian award of Papua New Guinea; the Companion of the Order of Fiji; the Ebakl Award by the Republic of Palau; the Order of the Druk Gyalp, the highest civilian decoration by Bhutan.
Modi has also been conferred with the Legion of Merit by the US Government; the King Hamad Order of the Renaissance by Bahrain; the Order of the Distinguished Rule of Nishan Izzuddin, the highest honour of the Maldives; the Order of St. Andrew award, the highest civilian honour of Russia.
Modi has also received the Order of Zayed Award, the highest civilian honour of the United Arab Emirates; the Grand Collar of the State of Palestine Award, the highest honour of Palestine; the State Order of Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan, the highest civilian honour of Afghanistan and the Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud, the highest honour of Saudi Arabia awarded to non-Muslim dignitaries.
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PM Modi speaks to Iranian president, discusses 'serious' situation in West Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday night spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian over the phone and discussed the "serious situation" in West Asia.
Modi expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions in the region and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure.
The prime minister told the Iranian President that the safety and security of Indian nationals, along with the need for unhindered transit of goods and energy, remain India's top priorities.
“Had a conversation with Iranian President, Dr Masoud Pezeshkian, to discuss the serious situation in the region. Expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure,” Modi said in a post on X.
The prime minister also reiterated India's commitment to peace and stability and urged dialogue and diplomacy to end the crisis.
The prime minister had spoken to leaders of several West Asian countries in the last 10 days in the wake of the coordinated offensive launched against Iran by the United States and Israel, in which the Islamic country's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed last month.
In retaliation, Iran has fired drones and missiles at Israel and US military installations around the Gulf region, including the global business and aviation hubs of Dubai and Doha.
Modi earlier spoke to the leaders of Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Israel and Qatar, and expressed concern over the attacks on their countries, and condemned the violation of some nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He also discussed the welfare and security of the Indian community residing in those countries.
Around 1 crore Indians live in the Gulf and West Asia. While about 10,000 Indian citizens live, study and work in Iran, more than 40,000 live in Israel.
