New Delhi: Appreciating India`s stand on political changes in Egypt, its Foreign Minister on Thursday said the two countries can play a "dominant role" towards shaping a new international order.
"India and Egypt can play a dominant role in shaping a new international order," Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy said, delivering a talk on developments in Egypt at the IDSA.
The Minister appreciated India`s strategic stand towards the political changes in Egypt and highlighted its importance saying he had chosen India as his first destination during his Asia tour.
The Minister had met his Indian counterpart Salman Khurshid yesterday.
Speaking about the drafting of a new `democratic` constitution in his country by mid-2014, the Minister expressed hope that the "move would strengthen people`s faith in the system of governance in Egypt by political reconciliation and by creating democratic institutions and by getting their economy started."
"There is a vacuum in the Middle East, and in future Egypt will play a more important role in the region and will act as a bridge between the Arab world and Africa," the Minister said.
Fahmy said he viewed the Arab uprisings as fundamental transformations of the society and not merely a political change and identified "youth of country, free flow of information and bad governance" as the three primary reasons for the uprisings in 2011 and 2013.
Speaking on the role of military in Egypt, he said, "Army`s role is to ensure stability in the country...The second uprising in Egypt was not a military coup but an exceptional situation where the people came out demanding a change."
Speaking on Muslim Brotherhood, he expressed reservations on the ideology but said that they were a part and parcel of the democratic process, still unfolding in the country.
