India, Egypt to focus on defense coproduction

Context

India’s defense minister is on a 2-day visit to Egypt. The leadership of the two countries has agreed to develop military cooperation and focus on joint training.

Key Highlights of the visit:

To focus on deepening cooperation between the defense industries of the two countries.
To emphasize specific proposals in relation to, joint training, defense coproduction, and maintenance of equipment.
To exchange expertise and best practices in countering the threat of terrorism.
The two countries are set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on defence cooperation.
India acknowledged that Egypt is among the most important trading partners of India in the region and that bilateral trade has expanded.
Egypt has expressed interest in acquiring military platforms from India. Among other things, Egypt is considering the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) for its fighter requirement.

India-Egypt Relations:

Diplomatic relations between Egypt and India were established with Egypt’s recognition of the independence of India on 18 August 1947, just three days after India’s independence.
Growing Egypt-India economic and commercial relations contribute to the stability and strength of a rapidly diversifying and deepening bilateral relationship

Defense partnership:

It is being revived with among other developments the visit of the Indian Navy ship to Egypt, a month-long Air Force exercise, and the visit of the Egyptian Air Force chief to India in recent months.

Trade & Commerce:

Egypt has traditionally been one of India's most important trading partners in the African continent.
The India-Egypt Bilateral Trade Agreement has been in operation since March 1978 and is based on the Most Favored Nation clause.
Major Egyptian exports to India include:
Raw cotton, raw and manufactured fertilizers, oil and oil products, organic and non-organic chemicals, leather and iron products.
Major imports into Egypt from India are:
Cotton yarn, sesame, coffee, herbs, tobacco, and lentils.
Mineral fuel; vehicle parts; Ship, boat, and floating structure; cuts of boneless bovine frozen meat; and Electrical machinery and parts are also exported from India.
There is a significant Indian presence in almost every field in Egypt.

Cultural Links:

The Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC) was set up in Cairo in 1992
It aims to promote cultural cooperation between the two countries, through the implementation of the Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP).
The Centre, in addition to popularizing Indian culture through Hindi, Urdu, and Yoga classes and the screening of movies, also organizes cultural festivals.