Egypt's president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is likely to be the chief guest for the Republic Day celebrations here next year.
India's external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is learnt to have extended the formal invitation to el-Sisi during an official visit to Cairo last month.
This would be the first time that an Egyptian president would be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations.
India had not invited any foreign dignitary as the chief guest for the Republic Day celebrations in 2021 and 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.






Mourners pay tribute to Air India Flight 171 plane crash victim Vijay Rupani, former Gujarat chief minister, at the crash site on the first anniversary of the disaster in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2026. India's aviation accident probe agency is facing renewed criticism from pilot groups ahead of the anniversary of the 2025 Air India Boeing-787 crash in Ahmedabad, which killed 260 people. Getty Images
Lindy Cameron, British high commissioner to India, gestures during a prayer meeting in memory of Air India Flight 171 plane crash victims at BJ Medical College on the first anniversary of the disaster in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2026. India's aviation accident probe agency is facing renewed criticism from pilot groups ahead of the anniversary of the 2025 Air India Boeing-787 crash in Ahmedabad, which killed 260 people. Getty Images







