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 {{Infobox bilateral relations|Eritrea–India|Eritrea|India|map=Eritrea India Locator (cropped).png}}
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 Since 2008, India provides Eritrea unilateral duty free tariff preferential market access for export of goods and services.<ref name="MEA2016" />
 == Foreign aid ==

>Place Clichy: Copying from Category:Bilateral relations of India to Category:Africa–India relations using Cat-a-lot

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Copying from Category:Bilateral relations of India to Category:Africa–India relations using Cat-a-lot

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{{Short description|1=Diplomatic relations between the State of Eritrea and the Republic of India}}
{{Infobox bilateral relations|Eritrea–India|Eritrea|India|map=Eritrea India Locator (cropped).png}}

'''Eritrea–India relations''' refers to the [[international relations]] that exist between [[Eritrea]] and [[India]]. Eritrea maintains an embassy in [[New Delhi]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Contact Us|url=http://eritreaembindia.com/contact-us/|website=Embassy of the State of Eritrea, New Delhi|access-date=5 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Diplomatic Missions in India|url=http://meaprotocol.nic.in/?a1Eritrea?|website=Protocol Division, Ministry of External Affairs|access-date=5 April 2017|language=en}}</ref> India maintains an embassy in [[Asmara]] since 2021. Erstwhile, India was represented to Eritrea through its High Commission in Khartoum, Sudan.

==History==
===Early history===
Trade relations between Africa and India date back to the 1st century AD, when the [[Kingdom of Aksum]] was established in present-day Eritrea and the [[Tigray Region|Tigray region]] of [[Ethiopia]]. Aksum's strategic location in the [[Horn of Africa]] with access to the [[Red Sea]], made it an important link in the direct [[trade route]] between [[South India|southern India]] and the [[Roman Empire]]. By the 1st century AD, trade routes between India and the Roman Empire had been well established and trade relations between the two regions had developed significantly as the demand for goods from southern India in the Roman Empire increased. Aksum benefited as an important transit point on the busy route. Silks, spices, pepper, glass, brass and copper from [[India]], [[Egypt]] and [[Arabian Peninsula|Arabia]] passed through [[Adulis]], the empire's main port. Aksum primarily exported ivory which was abundantly available within their empire. A Greek-Byzantine ambassador in Aksum recorded in the 5th century that he witnessed a herd of 5000 elephants in the region. A record from the 6th century notes that large elephant tusks were transported by boats from Aksum to India, [[Persia]] and [[Romania]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Modi in Africa: India has had trade relations with Africa from first century CE|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/web-edits/modi-in-africa-india-has-had-trade-relations-with-africa-from-first-century-ce/|website=The Indian Express|access-date=5 April 2017|date=7 July 2016}}</ref>

The Eritrean port of [[Massawa]] has been utilized by Indian traders since the 17th century.<ref name = "MEA2016">{{cite web|title=India - Eritrea Relations|url=http://www.mea.gov.in/Portal/ForeignRelation/Eritrea_Jan_2016.pdf|website=Ministry of External Affairs|date=January 2016|access-date=5 April 2017}}</ref> The 4th Indian Division's 5th Infantry Brigade of the [[British Indian Army]] fought in [[Eritrea]] in 1941. They secured victory in the decisive [[Battle of Keren]], for which the [[Bengal Engineer Group|Bengal Sappers]] were awarded the [[Victoria Cross]] for clearing mines in [[Metemma]].<ref>{{cite web|title=India - Sudan Relations|url=https://www.mea.gov.in/Portal/ForeignRelation/Sudan_July_2014__2_.pdf|website=Ministry of External Affairs|date=July 2014|access-date=5 April 2017}}</ref>

===Modern history===
India formally recognized Eritrea shortly after its [[Independence Day (Eritrea)|de jure independence]] in May 1993. India offered Eritrea assistance in its legislative drafting process after it became independent. Former Chief Justice of India [[P. N. Bhagwati|P.N. Bhagwati]] conducted a workshop on legislative drafting in Eritrea in January 1995. The two countries signed an MoU on co-operation in Agricultural Research and Education in December 2000, and an MoU on Agriculture Cooperation with the [[Indian Council of Agricultural Research|Indian Council for Agricultural Research]] in June 2006. An agreement on cooperation with the [[Indira Gandhi National Open University]] was signed by Eritrean officials in 2010.<ref name="MEA2016" /> The first Eritrean Ambassador to India was appointed in 2003.<ref name="KhalidMohammed">{{cite journal|url=https://www.academia.edu/27338778|title=India and Eritrea; a Geopolitical Bond of Cooperation Across the Arabian Sea|website=academia.edu|language=en|last1=Mohammed|first1=Khalid|access-date=5 April 2017}}</ref>

While a non-permanent member of the [[United Nations Security Council|UNSC]] in 2011–12, India served as the Chair of the UNSC's Somalia-Eritrea Sanctions Committee.<ref>{{cite web|title=India - Somalia Relations|url=https://www.mea.gov.in/Portal/ForeignRelation/Somalia_Jan_2016.pdf|website=Ministry of External Affairs|access-date=3 April 2017|date=February 2016}}</ref>

No visits at the level of head of state or government has taken place between the two countries. Several Eritrean ministers have visited India.<ref>{{cite web|title=India - Eritrea Relations|url=https://www.mea.gov.in/Portal/ForeignRelation/EritreaWebsiteBrief_Dec_2012-font.pdf|website=Ministry of External Affairs|date=December 2012|access-date=5 April 2017}}</ref> From India, the highest level visits to Eritrea have been at the level of minister of state.<ref name="MEA2016" /> Minister of State for External Affairs General [[Vijay Kumar Singh|V.K. Singh]] visited Eritrea in September 2015 and met with President [[Isaias Afwerki|Isais Afwerki]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Eritrean President Receives Invitation from Indian Prime Minister|url=https://www.tesfanews.net/president-isaias-receives-invitation-from-indian-prime-minister/|website=TesfaNews|access-date=5 April 2017|date=18 September 2015}}</ref> Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh visited India to attend the Third [[India–Africa Forum Summit|India-Africa Forum Summit]] in New Delhi in October 2015.<ref>{{cite web|title=Statement of H.E. Osman Saleh, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Eritrea, At the Third India-Africa forum Summit, New Delhi 27 October 2015 {{!}} hornofafrica.de|url=http://hornofafrica.de/statement-of-h-e-osman-saleh-minister-of-foreign-affairs-of-the-state-of-eritrea-at-the-third-india-africa-forum-summit-new-delhi-27-october-2015/|website=hornofafrica.de|access-date=5 April 2017}}</ref>

Eritrean Ambassador to India, Alem Tsesaye Woldemariam, serves as the Dean of African Diplomatic Corps in India.<ref>{{cite web|title=President Adesina Arrives in New Delhi to Boost Relations Between India and Africa|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201703310581.html|website=All Africa|access-date=5 April 2017|date=31 March 2017}}</ref>

==Trade==
Bilateral trade between Eritrea and India totaled US$244.73 million in 2014–15, rising sharply from $21.30 million the previous fiscal. India exported $14.06 million worth of goods to Eritrea, and imported $230.68 million. Alongside [[Italy]] and the [[United Arab Emirates|UAE]], India is one of the largest exporters to Eritrea. The main commodities exported by India to Eritrea are electrical and miscellaneous engineering equipment, drugs and pharmaceuticals, millets, cotton yarn and fabrics. The major commodities imported by India from Eritrea are leather, hides (excluding raw hides) and skins.<ref name="MEA2016" />

Since 2008, India provides Eritrea unilateral duty free tariff preferential market access for export of goods and services.<ref name="MEA2016" />

== Foreign aid ==
India has provided Eritrea with [[capacity building]] assistance in several fields such as legislative drafting, technical scholarships (agriculture, education, health), and [[food aid]]. India is a destination for Eritreans for higher studies.<ref name="MEA2016" />

India, Eritrea and [[Food and Agriculture Organization|FAO]] signed a trilateral agreement in [[Rome]] in 1998, under which India sent 100 agricultural experts to Eritrea to help boost agricultural productivity and production, inland fisheries and aquaculture. India donated 5,000 metric tonnes of wheat to Eritrea in 2003, and previously provided 1,500 metric tonnes of wheat and 200 metric tonnes of sugar as relief assistance. An Indian legal expert was deputed to Eritrea for a period of two years at the request of the Eritrean government. India provided a Line of Credit worth $20 million ($10 million each for education and agriculture projects) to Eritrea in July 2009. India inaugurated its [[Pan-African e-Network project|Pan African eNetwork project]] in Eritrea in August 2010. An expert technical team from the MEA and HMT(I) visited Asmara in October 2014, and finalised plans to establish a Vocational Training Centre in the city.<ref name="MEA2016" />

Citizens of Eritrea are eligible for scholarships under the [[Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme]] and the [[Indian Council for Cultural Relations]].<ref name="MEA2016" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Africa Scholarships|url=http://www.iccr.gov.in/content/africa-scholarships|website=Indian Council for Cultural Relations|access-date=5 April 2017|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170512210421/http://iccr.gov.in/content/africa-scholarships|archive-date=12 May 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Indians in Eritrea==
As of January 2016, around 1,200 Indians reside in Eritrea. The majority of them live and work in and around Asmara. Other regions with sizeable Indian communities include [[Anseba Region|Anseba]], [[Debub]], [[Northern Red Sea Region|Northern Red Sea]] region and the [[Dahlak Islands|Dahlak islands]]. The community is primarily employed as school teachers, teaching staff at secondary schools and technical colleges such as the [[Eritrea Institute of Technology|Eritrean Institute of Technology]], and businessmen. Some are employed as doctors and construction workers.<ref name="MEA2016" /> Over 800 Indian teachers are employed at various colleges, vocational training centers and high schools in Eritrea. Indians make up nearly 80% of the faculty of the Eritrea Institute of Technology.<ref name="KhalidMohammed" />

According to the Report of the High level Committee on Indian Diaspora, there were nearly 2,000 Indians in Eritrea in the 1960s. They were primarily employed as teaching staff at secondary schools and technical colleges, as professors at the University of Asmara, and as businessmen.<ref name="KhalidMohammed" />

===Peacekeepers===
Over 1,500 Indian troops served in the UN Mission for Ethiopia and Eritrea ([[United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea|UNMEE]]), and were deployed in both countries until February 2007. Major General Rajender Singh served as the UNMEE Force Commander from 2004 to 2006.<ref name="MEA2016"/> Indian troops also provided medical assistance and helped in drilling wells, and construction of roads and dams.<ref name="KhalidMohammed" />

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Foreign relations of Eritrea}}
{{Foreign relations of India}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eritrea-India relations}}
[[Category:Bilateral relations of Eritrea|India]]
[[Category:Bilateral relations of India]]
[[Category:Africa–India relations]]

Eritrea–India relations - Revision history

imported>AbhiSuryawanshi: /* Trade */ Imports table with ref

>Place Clichy: Copying from Category:Bilateral relations of India to Category:Africa–India relations using Cat-a-lot