Jaishankar, UAE counterpart to discuss Syria in talks today

India-UAE Strategic Talks: Jaishankar and Al Nahyan to Discuss Trade, Investment, and Middle East Crises

In a bid to further strengthen the strategic partnership, India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will hold a comprehensive review of their ties on Thursday as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will host Gulf country’s Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan for a wide-ranging meeting in Delhi.

Al Nahyan, who is also the UAE’s deputy prime minister, is on a three-day visit to India to explore ways to further expand ties between the two countries in key areas including trade and investment.

Jaishankar and Al Nahyan will review the entire gamut of bilateral strategic ties in a meeting, officials said. The meeting comes amid political turmoil with the regime change in Syria. The two leaders are expected to discuss the crises facing the Middle East in detail.

The regime of Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted by rebel groups in Syria, ended. Russian officials have said that the Assad family has sought refuge in Moscow.

Al Nahyan is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After Modi’s visit to the UAE in August 2015, bilateral relations between the two countries were elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Bilateral trade and investment relations have seen a major boost since the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in 2022.

The trade agreement offers a number of benefits, including tariff elimination and reduction, fostering an open trading environment, and improving market access for service providers in various sectors.

It addresses technical barriers and provides access to government procurement opportunities.

According to official data, the two countries are among India’s top trading partners with a bilateral trade of about US$85 billion in 2022-23.

The UAE is also among India’s top four investors in terms of foreign direct investment in 2022-23.