Benin–India relations refers to the bilateral ties between

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...

. Both nations are part of the

Non-Aligned Movement The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a forum of 120 countries that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. After the United Nations, it is the largest grouping of states worldwide. The movement originated in the aftermath o ...

. Benin supports India's candidature for a permanent seat in a reformed Security Council. The Ministry of External Affairs of the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

has said that India's ties with Benin were characterized by "democracy" and "secularism". The Indian Minister of State for External affairs visited Benin, where he said that,"We in India greatly admire Republic of Benin as a shining example of a tolerant, progressive multi-ethnic and multi-religious society with a multi-party democracy. India, being the world's largest democracy, rejoices at Benin's various achievements and wishes to contribute to its further success."

Economic ties

Trade between India and Benin has been growing consistently and had reached nearly 310 million dollars by 2009. India is one of Benin's largest trading partners and is the third largest export market for Benin, with exports being primarily in agro-products such as cashew nuts and cotton. India recently launched a Duty Free Tariff Preferences regime to promote trade with Benin.

Diplomatic representation

Benin does not have a resident embassy in New Delhi. India also does not have a resident mission in Benin. The Indian High Commissioner in Abuja is concurrently accredited to Benin.

References

Bilateral relations of India Africa–India relations {{Bilateralrelations-stub