Jaishankar’s visit, within two weeks of his reappointment following the formation of the NDA government, signifies the importance India attaches to its relations with the UAE
External affairs minister S Jaishankar and his United Arab Emirates (UAE) counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan reviewed bilateral relations and cooperation in areas such as commerce, fintech and education and explored new areas of collaboration.
Jaishankar’s visit, within two weeks of his reappointment following the formation of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, signifies the importance India attaches to its relations with the UAE, the external affairs ministry said.
Both ministers reviewed the multi-faceted bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership and “expressed happiness at the substantive progress in diverse areas of bilateral cooperation, including commercial and economic collaboration, fintech, education, culture, and people-to-people connect”, the ministry said.
They discussed new areas with untapped potential for further enhancing collaboration and exchanged views on regional and global issues.
“Very pleased to meet UAE FM @ABZayed today in Abu Dhabi. Productive and deep conversations on our ever growing Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Appreciated the discussion and his insights on regional and global issues,” Jaishankar said on X.
The Israel-Hamas conflict and its fallout on the extended region figured in Jaishankar’s discussions, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity.
Jaishankar also visited the BAPS mandir in Abu Dhabi and participated in an International Yoga Day event at the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi. “A visible symbol of India-UAE friendship, it radiates a positive message to the world and is a true cultural bridge between our two countries,” he said after his visit to the temple.
He expressed appreciation that the temple has become a cultural destination in the UAE. In less than four months since its inauguration, the shrine has received a million visitors.
The minister’s visit follows a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy. The ministry said the visit “marks the continuation of high-level contact between the two countries”.
Since July 2023, Modi has visited the UAE thrice and Mohamed bin Zayed has visited India twice. Last year, the two countries launched a local currency trade settlement agreement and the UAE’s domestic credit and debit card based on India’s RuPay card stack. A campus of the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi was established in Abu Dhabi.
The two sides elevated their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2015, and they signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) in February 2022. The trade deal is expected to increase bilateral trade in goods to $100 billion within five years.
The UAE is also home to 3.3 million Indian nationals, one of the largest concentrations of expatriates in West Asia.
