India, Egypt to focus on defense coproduction

• 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.