UAE Foreign Minister in New Delhi for 15th Joint Commission Meet
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed to strengthen India-UAE ties at the 15th Joint Commission Meeting
UAE Foreign Minister Arrives in New Delhi for Key Talks
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the foreign minister and deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, arrived in New Delhi on Thursday to attend the 15th India-UAE Joint Commission meeting and the 4th Strategic Dialogue. The visit is viewed as a move in the direction of fortifying the all-encompassing strategic alliance that has developed dramatically in recent years between the UAE and India.
Sheikh Abdullah was welcomed by Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesperson for the External Affairs Ministry, who underlined that the visit will strengthen the two nations’ multilateral partnership. He acknowledged the UAE’s contribution to strengthening relations and pointed out that the Strategic Dialogue would offer a chance to talk about crucial areas of collaboration like trade, technology, and culture.
The 14th India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting, chaired by Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Sheikh Abdullah in Abu Dhabi in September 2022, has already paved the way for stronger cooperation. During that meeting, the two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set up a Cultural Council Forum, with a view to enhancing cultural exchanges between the two countries.
Additionally, the UAE and India have made significant progress in addressing key conservation issues, with the signing of MoUs between the Wildlife Institute of India and the International Fund for Hoopoe Conservation, focusing on the conservation of species such as the Great Indian Bustard and the Lesser Florican.
Reaching US$100 billion in bilateral trade over the next five years is one of the key points to be discussed at the upcoming meeting. The two sides are also exploring the possibility of integrating instant payment systems such as India’s United Payments Interface (UPI) to improve financial transactions between the countries.
The UAE Foreign Minister thanked the Indian community for its contributions to the growth and development of the UAE, while Jaishankar thanked the UAE leadership for supporting the Indian community. The visit underscores continued cooperation in areas such as consular services, capacity building and human resource exchange.
The two governments have agreed to hold further dialogues on various institutional matters in the coming months, to strengthen their existing partnership and mutual interests in a number of areas.
